CONTENTS Abstract . i Acknowledgement iii Table of figures iii 1. Introduction and background 1 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Research question / hypothesis 2 1.3. Need for study 2 1.4. Research methodology . 3 1.5. Thesis structure 3 2. Evolution of colonial hill towns 5 2.1. Historical background 5 2.2. Urban form . 8 2.3. Concepts for emergence of hill towns . 9 2.3.1. Technological advancements 10 2.3.2. Health and colonial setup . 10 2.3.3. Home away from home 11 2.3.4. Emergence of educational institutions 11 2.4. Evolution of Simla town 12 3. Development of tourism 18 3.1. Growth of tourism in India 18 3.2. Shimla as a tourist town . 20 3.3. Impact of tourism . 26 3.3.1. Social impact 26 3.3.2. Economic impact 28 3.3.3. Environment impact . 29 4. Image of the city 33 4.1. Projected image 33 4.2. Promoted image . 35 5. Conflicts in perception 38 5.1. Factors affecting perception of tourists . 40 5.1.1. Duration of stay 40 5.1.2. Familiarity with place . 40 5.1.3. Transport network 40 5.1.4. Accommodation . 40 5.1.5. Attraction nodes 41 5.2. Factors affecting perception of local residents 41 5.2.1. Length of residency 41 5.2.2. Transport network 42 5.2.3. Residential growth 42 5.2.4. Areas most visited 42 6. Conclusions . 44 Bibliography . 45