Branding India’s Northeastern jewels
At the 8th North East Business Summit (NEBS), organised by the DONER ministry and the Indian Chamber of Commerce, industry experts came together to discuss tourism challenges.
Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India
Parvez Dewan, Secretary
I have never felt an iota of fear while travelling in the North East.The literacy level in the region is high, and hence there is a great demand for North East people in various sectors, including hospitality. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, planned an International Tourism Mart from January 18-20 at Guwahati, the first major international tourism event in the North East. It will bring together business fraternity and entrepreneurs behind tourism products and services of the eight North Eastern states of India and West Bengal (Darjeeling).
Mizoram
S Hiato, Tourism Minister
To capture the essence of Mizoram as a tourist destination, I would first like to talk to you about the potential that flourish in the state. Today, Mizoram is the most peaceful state in India, it is easily accessible by road and air, the travel formality has been eased. Mizoram is never very cold or very hot. The state’s tourism wealth can be exploited and packaged into a flourishing industry. The potential that exist can broadly be stated as trekking, rural tourism, adventure sports, leisure holidaying and well-being holiday. Mizoram is an unexplored destination. A wide range of lucrative opportunity is open for those willing to invest and face the challenge of transforming Mizoram into a tourist haven.
IATO
Subhash Goyal, President
We have been talking about the North East for a very long time. However, it is now time for action. The North-East is the best kept tourism secret in the world, yet we are still just paying lip service to the region. We need to figure out that ‘In spite of being so beautiful, why aren’t the tourists going there?’ Whatever action is being taken is either too little or too slow. Connectivity is an issue here, and it is very difficult to go from one state to the other. The first thing to focus on is connecting the states with one another. We need to start a public-private partnership revolution in the region.
TAAI, Northern Region
Jyoti Mayal, Chairperson
The perception is that the North East is not a safe place to travel. What needs to be done is the development of infrastructure and connectivity. The latter plays a major role and we need to push it to the extent so much so that positive development takes place. However, there is not much awareness about the North East, so it makes it very difficult to sell the place. The North-East needs to be marketed very aggressively. It is a very beautiful region and there is a lot that needs to be done.
IITTM, New Delhi
Manjula Chaudhary, Director
Following an evaluation of the campaign for the promotion of tourism in North East region, we found out that only 28% of the people could recollect seeing the commercial. For obvious reasons, the proportion of those who saw the commercial was higher in the North East (73.4%). We need to make more people aware of these states and in turn form a consortium for marketing them. However, we have noticed that most of the youngsters are not willing to go back to their parent state after undertaking skill development workshops, etc.
TFCI
BM Gupta, Chief General Manager
The addressing theme – ‘Horizons of Heaven - Opportunities in the Tourism and Hospitality Sector’ - has been very aptly chosen by the organisers. We should be able to blend products and knowledge with local destination development, which is ver y important for local upliftment. Protecting the cultural identity of the area and its people is also very important. We n eed the N orth-Eastern s tates to come u p with an overall marketing plan for the region. We a ssure y ou that none of the commercially v iable projects will face financial problems.