Northeast Tourism Seizing The Opportunity

Promotion is a good start but it needs to be followed up by detailed programming and relationship building for the growth of the tourism sector in NE

- Bhairavi Jani

For decades, India’s Northeast remained inaccessible to tourists from within and outside the country. Only those adventure seekers who could rough it out travelled to the region. Insurgency, militancy and conflict in many states also kept the family vacationers and honeymooners away. Restoration of peace, democratic processes and peace dialogues in the early 2000s changed that. This was followed by a series of massive infrastructure projects over the past decade that has brought road, rail and air connectivity to India’s enchanting Northeast and have opened up this region for tourism in a manner, never seen before.

While the Going is Good

For a lot of hospitality entrepreneurs, this surge in tourism has been a welcome change. From running small guesthouses, they have moved on to running multiple hotels, B&Bs and even resorts. There are amusement parks in the works and also recreation zones. The surge in demand for tourist taxis and cars has been phenomenal and young people have grabbed this opportunity for livelihood. The well thought-out festivals such as Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, Ziro Music Festival in Arunachal Pradesh and Brahmaputra Film Festival in Assam have also kick-started a process of curated tourism to the region.

Recent visits by international and Indian celebrities, film stars and sports personalities signed up as brand ambassadors have given a boost to the overall perception of brand Northeast. All of this has led to significant tourism infrastructure in the private sector and job creation for region’s youth. It has also led to cultural exchange with the rest of the country. So far, so good. But there are some glaring gaps.