CARRYING CAPACITY AND COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM

Ooty has been alluring nature lovers and health seekers for its natural scenic beauty, salubrious climatic conditions, outdoor recreational activities, wild orchids, indigenous cultural practices, road and rail connectivity facilities and amenities and friendly people. The Queen of Hill Station has occupied a premier position in the hill tourism map in Tamil Nadu in particular and India in general. Over the decades of its development as a well-established hill station, Ooty has not only attracted the highest number of tourists but also faced the negative consequences of mass tourist arrivals during the peak season. Even though some selected studies were undertaken from the ecological, environmental, agricultural and soil conservation perspectives, there was hardly a single study of Ooty from the perspectives of tourism.