The need to protect the intrinsic wealth of the world is becoming an important target for the young generation, as it provides avenues for travel, tourism and businesses to use the natural resources of the earth. Tourism is of course one of the fastest growing industries in the world and it positively and negatively impacts the environment in many ways. Tourism’s adverse effects minimize the inherent benefit it has in coastal areas and affect other non-tourist economic activities substantially. The adverse affects of tourism can be curtailed by proper resource management planning, putting emphasis on ecotourism and taking steps that are ecologically sustainable, socially useful and economically feasible. The aim of this study would be to determine the intrinsic and extrinsic effect of tourism on the environment. The connection between tourism and ecosystem is complex, and tourism has the potential to create possibilities for conserving and preserving the environment. The study obtained primary data using the personal contact method. Questionnaires were administered to 100 participants who visited Yercaud, Salem district of Tamil Nadu, India in the last five years through the Simple Random Sampling Method. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the environmental impact of tourism and its impact on natural resources, environmental damage and the surroundings of Yercaud. © 2020, IJSTR.