Alternative tourism models for the Northeast

Ecological fragility in the Northeast region makes economic development of the region through the establishment of large industries on a wider scale in the region unrealistic. Natural landscape and culturally rich people make the region a perfect region for economic development through tourism. The region developing its own model of sustainable and responsible tourism instead of replicating tourism models of luxury hotel chains and high-end travel packages is crucial for unlocking its tourism potential optimally. A set of new tourism entrepreneurs prioritising homestays over star-category hotels and rural ecotourism and cultural tourism over iconic and glamorous destinations reflects efforts to develop alternative tourism models. Tourism policies of the states in the region creating the space for the development of innovative tourism circuits are also vital for preventing footfalls in iconic destinations of the region. The iconic destinations of the region, such as Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Sohra, Mayodia, Tawang, etc., are also ecologically fragile, and an increase in footfalls beyond their carrying capacity poses the risk of causing irreversible ecological damage, which is unwarranted. The trends in recent tourism seasons, most particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, showed these destinations recording very high footfalls. Such destinations losing the serenity, which is one of the strongest attractions for tourists for choosing these destinations, presents a sustainability risk, as those looking for such destinations to rejuvenate by experiencing nature from close quarters may not like to return if they find these places too crowded, resembling the chaos of their daily urban life. The colourful weaving traditions, culinary skills, cultural festivals, celebrations and festivities around agricultural practices, harvesting, fishing traditions and craftwork, which vary widely because of rich cultural diversity within a state and from one state to another, offer huge opportunities for rural and cultural tourism. Improvement in connectivity in the region is a great advantage for promoting the alternative tourism destinations which allow enjoying mesmerising natural landscapes enriched by colourful people and their rich cultural practices. It has been observed that wherever such tourism models have flourished with homestays and tourism activities coinciding with the local cultural calendar, the number of tourism stakeholders from the places connected to it increases, and this has a positive impact on the local economies. In tourism activities dominated by luxury hotel chains and travel packages, the stakes of people living around such destinations are limited, and they remain disconnected from such tourism activities, except for those who are employed in the hotels and local travel. Aligning the development of new tourist destinations and alternative tourism models is possible only when tourism policies of the state and of the central government are redrawn to accommodate and support the new tourism entrepreneurs seeking to promote alternative tourism destinations. Identifying the key components in the tourism value chain in such alternative tourism models is essential to find out what stakes the local people can pick up in travel, supplies of food, souvenirs to be purchased by tourists, spare time to demonstrate their cultural practices like weaving, fishing traditions, etc., for which they can earn in a sustainable manner. The Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme of the Ministry of Tourism recognises that in order to minimise the negative impacts and maximise positive impacts, sustainable and responsible tourism is key. It also encourages adoption of principles of sustainable tourism, including environmental sustainability, socio-cultural sustainability and economic sustainability, which is an advantage for developing alternative tourism destinations in the region and needs to be leveraged. The government informed the Lok Sabha earlier in April that projects sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan 2.0, its sub-scheme ‘Challenge Based Destination Development’ and the ‘Special Assistance to the States for Capital Investment’ scheme include a variety of projects covering various tourism trends and immersive experiences such as beach experiences, cave experiences, adventure, border experiences, meditation centres, convention centres, religious and spiritual aspects, bird sanctuaries, historical theme parks, tribal culture experiences, forts, biodiversity and eco-recreation. While the government scheme plays a key role in the development of tourism infrastructure and tourism promotion, the community model of tourism plays the most crucial role in the sustainability of tourism activities supported. Involving the community in determining the carrying capacity of each destination is vital so that tourism activities do not clash with their community priorities. The pragmatic approach is to groom tourism entrepreneurs locally who will always be sensitive to the concerns of the local communities and also towards their cultural sensitivities towards tourism activities. Various tourism promotion schemes support local tourism entrepreneurs to leverage digital technology and e-commerce to not just promote their destinations and tourism products but also provide a platform for local artisans to reach out to global buyers who are fascinated by their experience of rich cultural tapestry during their visit. There cannot be any uniform model for such alternative tourism activities, and it must be based on priorities set by local people in each place.