Ecotourism, Workation, and the Post-COVID Growth of Himachal Pradesh's Second-Home Hospitality Economy: A Conceptual Analysis

AbstractBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent normalization of remote andhybrid work have changed the way Indian knowledge workers engage with the hilldestinations of the country, generating demand for longer and work-compatible stays inscenic settings. Himachal Pradesh has emerged as one of the principal beneficiaries of thischange.Objectives: This conceptual paper documents the scale and trend of the tourism economy ofHimachal Pradesh since the COVID-19 disruption, examines how the post-pandemicworkation phenomenon has reshaped demand for ecotels, homestays and short-letaccommodation in selected destinations, and identifies the sustainability and regulatorychallenges that this growth has produced.Methodology: The study follows a conceptual and descriptive design based entirely onsecondary data. It draws on the second-home tourism scholarship of Hall (2014) and Gallentand Hamiduddin (2021), the workation research of Koll, Wang and Lin (2025), and theecotourism analysis of Singh and Kumar (2018) for Himachal Pradesh, and cross-validatesthis evidence against official government statistics and industry reporting by Airbnb andOxford Economics.Key Findings: Tourism and hospitality contribute 7.78 per cent of the Gross State DomesticProduct of Himachal Pradesh, tourist arrivals reached a record 18.12 million in 2024, and thestate now has an estimated 4,800–5,000 registered homestay and bed-and-breakfast units.This growth is concentrated in destinations such as Bir Billing, Kasol-Tosh, Kasauli,Dharamshala, Palampur and Naggar, and it has led the state to overhaul its regulatoryframework through the Himachal Pradesh Home Stay Rules, 2025.Implications/Significance: By connecting second-home tourism theory, workation researchand community-based ecotourism scholarship within a single framework, the paper offers anew lens for understanding post-pandemic hill-tourism economies. Its policyrecommendations are intended to help Himachal Pradesh balance the income generated byecotourism against the ecological and cultural carrying capacity of the state.