Guwahati, April 9: In a bid to evolve a concrete tourism policy for the Northeast, leading tour operators and consultants, potential investors and entrepreneurs and government officials will hold a two-day meet at the Northeast tourism summit in Shillong from tomorrow.
“We want to promote tourism as an economic activity, as a job creator and a tool to alleviate poverty,” said Jyoti Kapur, president, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India here today.
The main theme of the summit, organised by the Association of Tour Operators of Northeast India and North East Council is “Tourism in Northeast India — a gateway to prosperity”.
“The entire tourism circuit in the region must be projected through a regional forum and with the co-operation of the state government,” added Kapur.
At present, tourism in India is the second largest net foreign exchange earner, to the tune of over Rs 14,000 crore. There are an estimated 240 million domestic tourists every year and the number is increasing by 10 per cent.
Of late, the governments in this region have realised the potential of tourism by organising fairs and festivals. Recently, Tourfed, a private tour agency, had chalked out several travel circuits to hitherto unexplored destinations in the region.
Maharaj I.S. Wahi, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators, said with globalisation, the gates to the tourism industry has been flung open. Hence, there is an immediate need for promoting tourism in the region, he said.
“Till date, the states have made scattered attempts individually to attract foreign tourists and the thrust has been on wildlife tourism. The huge domestic market has not been exploited,” Wahi said.
Inadequate infrastructure like accommodation, transport and communication, coupled with restrictions like inner-line permit and restricted areas permit are hurdles tour operators face while attracting foreign tourists in the region.
The summit will try to build synergy through regional-level travel and tourism co-operation. “We will try to evolve tourism products based on respective strengths yet on a common perspective,” Kapur said.
There will also be a familiarisation tour for leading tour operators, travel writers, photographers both from India and abroad. The tour will cover Dimapur, Kohima, Kaziranga, Guwahati, Tawang, Dirang, Bhalukpong, Shillong and Cherrapunjee.