Call of tea, cruise and wildlife tourism
Assam tourism is actively boosting wildlife, tea tourism and the indigenous culture of the land in a major way. Rituparna Barua, Chairman, Assam Tourism Development Corporation shares significant insights on the current developments of the state tourism.
Assam, the land of the mighty river Brahmaputra and Goddess Kamakshya, is a fast-growing state in the sphere of tourism. The state not only forms the gateway to North-east India but also South-East Asian destinations. The land is endowed with five national parks- Kaziranga National Park, Manas, Dibru Saikhowa, Pobitora in the district of Morigaon and Dihing Patkai. Both Dibru Saikhowa and Dihing Patkai national parks are in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts of the state. Kaziranga and Manas National Park are UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. The land has 60 distinct ethnic tribes.
The state contributes to around 50 per cent of the country’s tea production. The three major tea-growing districts are Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivsagar. Most of the tea gardens are in the lower region of the Brahmaputra Valley. Rituparna Barua commented, “There are heritage tea bungalows in Upper Assam and 15 golf courses. The tea bungalows are concentrated in the tea town of Jorhat. There are lavish, spacious, age-old tea bungalows that form an exciting part of tea tourism in the state.”
In the post-pandemic times, more travellers are looking ahead to spend quality time in nature. The forested state has virgin destinations that provide a pollution-free ambience. Kaziranga National Park is famed for one-horned rhinos. Barua also pointed out that the state is famed for Ahom heritages that are concentrated in Sivsagar- the bygone capital of Ahom dynasty that had established its stronghold in the state for six centuries. “There are Satras or monasteries that were established by the saint Shankardev dating back to 15 the century and till today there are 65 Satras in the state,” said Barua.
The state government is all set to launch cruise tourism in the next couple of years. Barua further said, “In an attempt to spruce up the banks of river Brahmaputra and to pull tourists into the state, cruise tourism will be the calling card of the state tourism. The Union Ministry of Tourism will kick-start an interesting project- Swadesh Darshan sometime in August, this year. The 100-crore project will come up at Manas, Pabitora, Dibru Saikhowa national parks and Majuli River Island. The project will have log huts and cafeterias for travellers and is expected to offer a big fillip to state tourism.”