‘India’s last Shangri-La’: Arunachal to host 16th annual convention on adventure tourism

The curtain raiser league covered topics related to tourism and hospitality successful Arunachal Pradesh, including taste attractions, improvements successful accessibility, post-Covid recovery, the nett zero docket and the consequences of over-tourism.

Citing his visits to Arunachal Pradesh, ATOAI president Ajit Bajaj said the normal would showcase the opportunities the authorities has to connection and bring economical maturation and planetary recognition. He said his views connected the authorities becoming the adjacent large tourer destination resonate with those of Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

“The normal volition impact travelling to Tawang from Guwahati (Assam) via Dirang. We volition spell up to Bumla and walk important clip networking and sharing cognition with escapade circuit operators to research the possibilities of escapade tourism,” helium said.

The itinerary volition besides see a sojourn to the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports astatine Dirang successful West Kameng district.

Bajaj emphasised that the normal would beryllium a net-zero event. “We volition cipher the c footprint and purpose to trim it to champion liable tourism, showcasing it to illustration the way for the full industry,” helium said.

Highlighting the ATOAI’s imaginativeness of positioning India among the apical 10 tourer destinations globally, Bajaj said, “We present person a nationalist committee for escapade tourism chaired by the caput of tourism, Government of India. We are moving connected information guidelines, accomplishment improvement and engaging with authorities governments.”

The convention’s chairperson, Oken Tayeng of the People’s Party of Arunachal, remarked that the authorities is among the “last bastions of wilderness”. “The authorities tin go 1 of the large playgrounds for escapade tourism globally, with activities similar upland biking, trekking and mountaineering. This normal volition supply an accidental to brainstorm champion practices for tourer destinations and larn from what has not worked successful different regions. It volition beryllium a caller commencement for america to recognize however to run the manufacture sustainably,” helium said.

With a colonisation of 1.38 million, Arunachal Pradesh is location to 26 large tribes and implicit 100 sub-tribes. The authorities witnesses an yearly tourer footfall of astir 5,00,000. Each pouch of the authorities boasts unsocial and vibrant cultures crossed its divers ecology. However, unexplored destinations with delicate ecologies look the hazard of tourer negligence, which tin pb to contamination and disruption of accepted practices.

Tayeng informed indianexpress.com that definite organization mechanisms are being implemented, and sensitisation sessions volition beryllium provided to tourists to forestall littering. He besides emphasised the request to destruct single-use plastics from the state.

“We person seen tourer cars driving done lakes successful Ladakh; we tin forestall that present by informing visitors of the ‘dos and don’ts’ of the destination. It is not conscionable astir the quantity of tourists, but besides the quality,” helium said. “To code the hazard of over-tourism, expanding prices could beryllium an effectual strategy.”

Tayeng added, “Tribal areas person precise unsocial cultures and lifestyles; preventing disruption boils down to advisories—teaching travellers to respect taste sensibilities and ensuring that their civilization is not appropriated.”

Tayeng noted that Bhalukpong serves arsenic the introduction constituent for mainland visitors, wherever they person a preliminary sensitisation session. He said that maturation should beryllium dependable and cautious for the champion results.

Arun Shrivastav, Joint Director General, Ministry of Tourism, said that Arunachal is among the astir beauteous tourer locations. He stated, “The ministry is moving intimately with the ATOAI to formulate rescue centre guidelines and capacity-building programmes. We person seen advancement connected issues related to security and outer phones.”

Among the dignitaries present, authorities Secretary of Tourism Ranphoa Ngowa highlighted that the state’s pristine landscapes and unparalleled biodiversity supply the cleanable canvas for sustainable tourism that respects quality and empowers section communities. He mentioned activities similar stream rafting successful the Sikang river, paragliding and skiing.

Regarding the cuisines successful the state, Ngowa said each people has its ain unsocial dishes and that the nutrient is organic. “We person unsocial cooking methods, specified arsenic atom cooked successful bamboo. In Khonsa and Deomali, determination is simply a method of cooking nutrient utilizing stream stones,” helium said.

According to Tourism Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona, processing the tourism manufacture is 1 of the perfect choices for achieving economical prosperity without pollution. Therefore, the Government is focusing connected the maturation of the sector. “Connectivity issues were the crushed wherefore the imaginable of the authorities was hidden. Today, you tin question to immoderate country of Arunachal Pradesh,” helium said.

“We person invited influencers and amateur bloggers to research Arunachal Pradesh connected Tourism Day. Social media is the biggest model to showcase the state, whether we similar it oregon not. Steps are being taken to mitigate the antagonistic impacts of tourer overflow, and section populations are besides being educated astir garbage segregation for non-biodegradable waste,” Sona told indianexpress.com.