Community Tourism

In the first such initiative of its kind in Assam, a community-based rural tourism venture has come up on the banks of the Chandubi lake on the outskirts of Guwahati. Launched by Assam Tourism jointly with the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, this rural and eco-tourism project will be maged by local villagers. Tourists will get to stay at traditiol homes, engage in activities around the lake, go for treks in the forests and orchards nearby, visit several waterfalls in the area and go for river cruises. The idea is to involve the local community as stakeholders, to train them in maging tourist activities responsibly and thereby reap sustaible benefits. Government representatives have been meeting local community elders, council members and student representatives to filise the nitty-gritty of the project, including selection of home-stays in the area. As for picnics, these will be discouraged for causing damage to the ecology of the wetland and surrounding forests. For the last few years, the five-day Chandubi Festival in January has been organised to popularise the area among tourists and showcase its rich tribal art and culture. But such efforts need to pay off around the year. Earlier, there have been efforts by residents of hamlets like Joramukharia in the area to adopt eco-tourism by making available their houses for tourists, providing boats, serving ethnic food and displaying handicrafts. Interested tourists could get a close look and learn about the tribal way of life by staying with the families. Now this initiative is sought to be widened in the entire Chandubi area, which can surely give a fillip to the local economy.