Fondly known as the “Queen of the Hills”, Mussoorie seems to be in the mood to implement a law that may soon require tourists to pre-register before visiting during peak seasons. Ever since tourism started in places like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the footfall has only surged with recent trends being that of traffic jams and roadblocks at remote places in these states where they look out of place. Thus, the new online system is being weighed up to manage overcrowding, minimise traffic jams and enhance tourist safety by granting access only to those limited number of visitors who secure a QR‑coded pass.
What once used to be a quaint, less-crowded summer escape has come to be an overcrowded go-to destination in the north. In the year 2022, Mussoorie recorded over 1.1 million tourist footfall which had by 2024 surged to more than 2.1 million, doubling in a matter of merely two years. This rapid rise has naturally come with an overwhelming pressure to the hill station's limited means and infrastructure. Traffic snarls and brawls are now becoming common sights on key roads like the famous Mall Road and the stretch between Picture Palace and Gandhi Chowk, especially on weekends when public from neighbouring cities pull in, public holidays and school vacations.
The concerned authorities are now working towards a tech-enabled, streamlined process to curb this overwhelming influx of tourists. Tourists may soon be compelled to produce a pre-registration before their visit, particularly during the peak seasons. The proposed system will expect travellers to feed details such as the number of visitors, vehicle registration number, dates of travel, accommodation details and other such information following which they will receive an OTP on their phone numbers to authenticate the process. International travellers, on the other hand, will have to use their email ids.
Once registered, the visiting tourists will all be rendered with an official QR code which will enable them to enter The Queen of Hills upon perusal at designated checkpoints. These checkpoints will be well equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to ensure only pre-approved vehicles enter the town. Kimadi Road, Kempty Falls Road, and Kuthal Gate are said to be the three main access routes identified for this system.
For this imperative if stern move, multiple reasons are being cited. The most pressing concern is traffic congestion, which has become a safety hazard. In a tragic incident earlier this year, a tourist from Delhi died after an ambulance got stuck in traffic and couldn't wade through to the hospital in time.
Apart from the traffic, ecological concerns rank supreme. In 2023, a panel appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recommended regulating the number of tourists visiting Mussoorie. The panel also noted that the hill station was on the brink of an environmental stress similar to that of Joshimath, another Himalayan town grappling with land subsidence and over-tourism. Unchecked construction, vehicular emissions and strain on natural resources could all result in a catastrophic end to Mussoorie's already fragile health.
The town's infrastructure is also under great pressure, with its narrow roads and limited parking facilities virtually inept of handling the current volume of vehicles during peak periods. Locals have often reported disruption of daily life as emergency services, sanitation and transport take a major blow.
The system won't be operational all year long. Rather, it will only be activated at certain times of heavy tourism, such as the winter holiday season, long weekends, and summer vacations. The goal is to properly manage tourism, not to limit it.
Pre-registration data, according to officials, will also be useful for anticipating crowds and making plans for upcoming travel seasons. Based on the information gathered, authorities may think about making some roads one-way or expanding the alternatives for public transport during these times. In order to improve traffic flow within the town, those who do not have valid QR codes at entry points may be asked to reroute or return.
Responses to the proposed shift have been conflicting. Some residents, especially those in the travel and hospitality industry, are more wary of the rule, while many applaud it as a long-overdue remedy for persistent traffic congestion and pollution. Some hotel operators worry that the rule may deter last-minute or impulsive travellers.
The Tourism Department has responded to these worries by announcing that the system will be put into place following extensive discussions with all parties involved, including resident welfare organisations, hotel associations, and transportation unions. Additionally, authorities are trying to make sure that visitors of all ages can easily complete the online process and that it is mobile-friendly.
The ANPR camera installation and software infrastructure development are nearing completion at the Uttarakhand Tourism Department. If implemented effectively, the method might be used as a template for other well-known hill towns that experience comparable issues during busy times, such Nainital and Rishikesh.
This program coincides with a rising recognition that uncontrolled tourist numbers must yield to sustainable tourism. The pre-registration system in Mussoorie, if well executed, may achieve a much-needed balance between maintaining the town's charm and satisfying the wanderlust of the thousands of visitors that visit there every year.
(With inputs from multiple sources.)