Coastal Tourism in Odisha and its Impact on Beach Degradation

Coastal resources throughout the Odisha Coast are the famous attraction for the tourists. At the same time mass tourism in this region is a major contributor to sewage and solid waste pollution, deforestation, coastal erosion and sedimentation from construction activities. Beach degradation from tourism depends on the number of tourists inflow, the rate of growth of the tourism industry, improper planning and lack of control. Tourism-related physical changes are also widespread for expanding tourism infrastructure projects. The present study is an effort to examine the role of Coastal tourism in Odisha, especially in Puri, Konark, Gopalpur and Chandipur which affect the socio-economic life of the local communities and environmental degradation of the quality of beaches. In the study area, development was based on a rapid growth of tourist demand and chaotic development of tourist facilities. Erosion is very common in Odisha coast. Solutions like sand re-nourishment have not stopped the erosion process. The rising number of tourists exerts a strong pressure on these beaches. Key objective of this paper is to find out how to maintain balance between positive and negative impacts of beach tourism to get optimum benefits and maintain sustainability by protecting it from the environmental catastrophe, manmade hazards followed by beach degradation.