That travel ‘rush’
Ithink I’ll make a habit of being an itinerant letter writer. There’s nothing quite like it, especially if you get to call it work. This one comes to you from the balmy foothills of eastern Arunachal Pradesh, where I am tapping it out from the somnolent confines of a planter’s chair, while watching the Siang—which is what the mighty Brahmaputra is called in Arunachal— flow swiftly by. I’m in Pasighat—the oldest town in the state—to participate in the Siang Rush, an annual showcase of travel and tourism now in its third year, where a select few are invited to experience the best that Arunachal Pradesh has to offer. This year’s highlights included Tawang and Dirang. But the signature event of the trip is two days of rafting down the Siang which, thankfully, turned out to be a tame affair. The soft adventure was further cushioned by camping on a silvery river beach lit up by a waxing moon, much singing and dancing by the fire and topnotch gourmet fare to feast on.
Arunachal truly is a one-of-a-kind destination, with much to offer, from heritage to nature, and culture to adventure. Its remarkably low population
Arunachal is a one-of-akind destination, with much to offer, from heritage to nature, and culture to adventure. Its low population density ensures easy social distancing
density ensures tranquillity and, pertinent in today’s context, easy social distancing. Arunachalis, when you do run into them, are friendly and hospitable. A meal we had at the village of Rottung—currently vying to become Arunachal’s cleanest village—will remain etched in my memory for all of these reasons.
It’s great to see travel slowly bouncing back with more and more people hitting the road or taking flights. This issue, we reached out to thought leaders in the tourism and hospitality space to find out what ideas could help catalyse tourism in the postpandemic scenario, in a safe and effective manner. A lot of interesting insights came up and we’re sharing them with you. Hope 2021 is the year when we finally start travelling again.