Belinda Wright, executive director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, based in New Delhi, said a tourist ban would be a "total disaster".

Corbett Foundation, another wildlife protection charity in India, agrees.

Wright said Dubey was using unreliable figures. "Until the 2008 census, the tiger population was calculated using a discredited, unscientific method which allowed states to dramatically overestimate,"

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has issued the first-ever guidelines for 'tiger conservation and tourism' proposing tourism in 20% core areas of tiger reserves and national parks.

With this importance of tourism in tiger conservation in mind, it is recommended that a maximum of 20% of the core or critical tiger habitat usage (not exceeding the present usage) for regulated, low-impact tourist visitation may be permitted. In case the current usage exceeds 20% the Local Advisory Committee may decide on a timeframe for bringing down the usage to 20%.

court said that states will have to adhere to guidelines issued by Centre...yesterday

ban was imposed after states failed to comply with the Centre's notification

Court has asked every state to prepare tiger conservation plan within 6 months keeping in mind the NTCA guidelines and submit it to the Centre for approval