GUWAHATI, March 15 ? Tourism in Assam in particular and the North-East in general is set to get a fresh lease of life following the operation of Air India flights to Bangkok beginning from April 4. This is the view shared by tour operators, travel agents, government departments and other agencies connected with tourism in the State. The mood in the tour operators? circle in the city is upbeat and they are working overtime to cash in on the business prospects that the new development is offering.
Jungle Travels India Pvt Ltd, a leading tour operator of the North-East which is also a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and part of the American Express, has already got about 30 booking orders for the first flight to Bangkok. Smt Jahnabi Phookan, the director of Jungle Travels, termed the upgradation of LGB Airport an international one as a move in the right direction and said the response from the people was very encouraging. Jungle Travels is offering a four-night-five-day package for Rs 17,000 which includes Guwahati-Bangkok-Guwahati air fare, 4-star accommodation, sight seeing and daily breakfast. She said people?s response to the Guwahati-Bangkok flight will be positive for three reasons. First, the cost factor, the fare of the Guwahati-Bangkok flight is less than that of a Guwahati-Delhi flight. The maximum and minimum air fare for a Guwahati-Delhi-Guwahati trip is Rs 16,800 (Jet) and Rs 14,030 (Sahara) respectively. Whereas people can now go to Bangkok, stay there for five days and then return spending as little as Rs 17,000. Besides the cost factor, there is the advantage of visiting a foreign country. And thirdly, people can do that by boarding a flight right at Guwahati, she added.
Another advantage from the Bangkok flight would be that since Bangkok is a major hub of tourist activities, people from other countries visiting Bangkok might also opt for a flight to Guwahati, Smt Phookan said. On the low price of their package tours, she said that the lower the price the more will be the tourists. Sri Prabal Bora, the director of Travel Smart, another leading travel agency, was equally enthusiastic about the tourism prospects following upgradation of LGB Airport. He said, beginning with tourism it would gradually open up other vistas of business opportunities, as well. If the venture turns out to be successful, it an change the very economy of the North-East, he added. Direct people-to-people contact with South East Asian countries will now increase and this will facilitate exchange of ideas which can do a whole world of good to this till-now-isolated north-eastern region, Prabal opined. He sounded optimistic that if things go on well, Assam will be earning a lot of foreign exchange in the days to come.
On the response of the people so far, Prabal said it was quite encouraging. In the Bihu season, there is likely to be more rush, he said. Travel Smart is offering a four-day-four-night package to Bangkok and Pattaya for Rs 18,999. About Bangkok, Prabal said that it was a tourists? paradise and among the most popular tourist centres in the world. Cheap markets and quality hotels at low rates are available at Bangkok. They can afford to do this because the number of tourists is so high, he explained. Smt Manjula Baruah, the managing director of Speedbird Travels Pvt Ltd, however, did not sound hopeful about the prospects. It may be mentioned that as members of IATA, only Speedbird and Jungle Travels are the stockists of Air India tickets. She felt a four-day trip was too short. There should have been an extended tour of Hong Kong or Singapore from Bangkok, she said. She also doubted whether there will be 400 people per week to travel to Bangkok from Assam. (The 200-seater flight will operate twice a week) and vice versa.
The State Department of Tourism is also leaving no stone unturned to expedite smooth operation of Air India flights. Besides renovating tourist attractions in the State, it has sent several new projects to the Centre for sanction which includes a proposal for developing an internal route through the Kaziranga. Sri Balendra Basumatary, the Director of Tourism said the department is providing special brochures on tea, golf and wildlife and other publicity materials to tour operators, the department?s information offices at airports and its overseas offices. Prior to the first flight to Bangkok, a team of travel writers, journalists and tour operators is scheduled to come here to take part in a tourism workshop, he said. The golf courses at Jorhat and Digboi are also being upgraded, Sri Basumatary said.