“Towards regenerative ecotourism in mountain destinations: rethinking hill station tourism in Tamil Nadu”

Abstract Tamil Nadu's hill stations—Kodaikanal, Ooty, and Yercaud—attract millions annually for their scenic landscapes and cool climate, yet face escalating environmental stress from tourism growth including waste accumulation, water scarcity, and overcrowding. While ecotourism promises sustainability, its focus on impact reduction often fails to address systemic ecological degradation and community marginalization in fragile mountain ecosystems. This study proposes regenerative ecotourism as an advanced paradigm that seeks net-positive ecological, social, and cultural outcomes. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with data from 350 tourism stakeholders across the three hill stations, the research validates a framework linking ecotourism practices and environmental stress to regenerative principles (restoration, co-governance, cultural revival), which fully mediate effects on regenerative outcomes (ecosystem health, equitable livelihoods, visitor transformation). Results confirm strong paths (R² = 0.61–0.62): ecotourism practices positively influence regenerative principles (β = 0.38, p < 0.001), while environmental stress exerts negative effects (β = -0.25, p = 0.002). Regenerative principles emerge as the dominant predictor of outcomes (β = 0.62, p < 0.001). The study contributes the first empirical regenerative ecotourism model for Indian hill stations, demonstrating full mediation and hill-station variations. Policy implications advocate embedding restoration, community co-ownership, and climate resilience into Tamil Nadu's ecotourism framework to transform mass tourism into regenerative systems.