"Maldives? Mauritius? The Indian Ocean is 'so last year'!" reads one fashionable travel brochure in London. "For the ultimate island retreat, the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal are truly unrivalled." But while the archipelago fulfils all the requirements of a tropical paradise, with coral white beaches, palm trees and even an active volcano on Barren Island, on North Sentinel Island the indigenous tribal people attack trespassers with bows and arrows.

The last time the Andamans caught the attention of the outside world was in the wake of the 2004 tsunami, which devastated several of the islands and killed thousands of their people. Eighteen months on, the territory is still struggling to rebuild, and thousands remain homeless.

The Indian government says the islands' economy badly needs a boost from tourism, and has even been offering government employees free air fares if they take their holidays there. For many inhabitants it would be a dream come true if the Andamans become the next fashionable winter destination.

But environmentalists are warning that for the islands' delicate corals, most of which survived the tsunami, it could be a nightmare. There are also fears over what an increase in tourism could mean for the indigenous people.

"The Andaman Islands are home to some of the world's most isolated and vulnerable tribes, " said Fiona Watson of Survival International, an international NGO that seeks to support tribal people's rights.

Tourism might not harm some of the Andamans' tribal peoples, like the Sentinelese, who refuse any contact with the outside world, and the Nicobarese, who live integrated into modern Indian society, but Watson singles out the Jarawa, who live near the main tourist resorts.

"The Jarawa are suffering from increasing invasion of their land by poachers and settlers, who bring disease and violence and hunt their game animals, " she said. "The Indian authorities have failed to protect the Jarawa and their land from this onslaught. Promoting tourism on the islands will only increase the pressure on this unique people, who, if not protected now, will disappear forever."

FIVE TO STAY AWAY FROM
1. Antarctica: Fragile ecosystem is being damaged by increase in visiting ships
2. Machu Picchu, Peru: Inca city risks being lost again as tourists' feet erode mountainside
3. Tibet: Campaigners say new railway threatens Tibetan culture and wildlife
4. Bimini, Bahamas: Giant resort development damages environment and local way of life, according to Tourism Concern
5. Foja mountains, New Guinea: Pristine rainforest habitat full of new species, virtually untrod by humans