Tourism initiatives beyond infrastructure development

From iconic world heritage sites such as Kaziranga and Manas National Parks to beautiful nature landscapes, rich heritage, and cultural tradition, Assam has a lot to offer tourists. The decline in the number of tourist arrivals to the state is reflective of challenges that lie ahead for the tourism industry to leverage its potential. The industry cannot grow or sustain itself merely on government initiatives and requires the enthusiastic participation of the private sector and collaborative initiatives to sustain the growth momentum. Official data shows that the momentum of increasing footfall of domestic and foreign tourists in 2022–23 was missing in the current financial year. In 2022–23, the state recorded arrivals of 98.12 lakh domestic tourists and 18,946 foreign tourists, but in the current financial year until January this year, 58.36 lakh domestic tourists and 16,166 foreign tourists visited tourism destinations. A sudden increase in the previous financial year was the residual impact of COVID-19 travel restrictions on destinations abroad in many countries, due to which a significant percentage of domestic tourists chose destinations in Assam and other North-eastern states. After travel restrictions were eased and several countries offered visa-free or visa-on arrival facilities for Indian tourists, a large section of high-end domestic tourists reportedly preferred destinations abroad to tourism sites in the northeast region. The Assam Tourism Policy, 2022, approved by the State Cabinet, aims at developing adequate infrastructure at places of tourist interest by connecting tourism circuits while taking into consideration the ecological and cultural sensitivities of the state. Other key features of the policy are: engagement of local people directly or indirectly in various tourism endeavours; support for homestays among local communities; coordination between the tourism and transport sectors; creation of special tourism zones through promotion of tea tourism, golf tourism, medial and wellness tourism, along with wildlife and heritage circuits; and attracting private sector investments under the public-private partnership mode. The government says that the implementation of Swadesh Darshan 2.0 commenced in Jorhat and Kokrajhar, aiming to enhance tourism infrastructure. Under the ‘Promotion and Development of Tea Tourism Infrastructure in Assam,’ 22 tea gardens received sanction letters after completion of Phase-I and Phase-II tender processes. Besides, 63 homestay facilities have been established across the state under the ‘Amar Alohi Rural Homestay Scheme’ of the state government. These indicate the progress made under state government initiatives to boost tourism in the state. The sustained flow of targeted tourists is critical to the commercial viability of these tourism ventures under which tourist accommodation has been created. Hence, the real challenge to sustaining growth in the sector is to go beyond infrastructure creation and focus on branding various tourism products to attract more tourists. Connectivity, which is a crucial link in the tourism growth chain, has significantly improved over the past decade. However, high airfares for flights connecting Assam and other states in the region have been a stumbling block to tourism growth and need to be addressed jointly by the central and state governments. Special discounts in train and airfare for tourists with pre-booking for tourism destinations in the northeast may attract more domestic and foreign tourists to the region. Grooming tourism entrepreneurs, training a pool of tourist guides, and skill development for commercial drivers and hotel and restaurant employees on the adoption of a tourist-friendly approach are also crucial to overcome the challenges. More participation of women and youth in tourism awareness programmes at potential tourism sites can facilitate the grooming of tourism entrepreneurs in rural and semi-urban areas located close to iconic tourism spots and sites with tourism potential. Getting feedback from local communities as to what kind of tourism promotion they want in their areas instead of imposing tourism products developed by tourism players from outside on them is more important for the enthusiastic participation of local communities and long-term sustainability. The Assam government has proposed to allocate Rs 100.86 crore to the Tourism Department for the financial year 2024–25, but private players also investing in creating infrastructure and skill training is of paramount importance to tap tourism potential in the state. Festivals and ethnic cuisines of different indigenous communities in Assam have great allure for tourists, but the state needs to tap into these to add to tourism attractions. Trekking in the hills and jungles provides visitors with a lifetime opportunity to see nature’s creation from a closer distance. For youths in metropolitan cities stressed by overexposure to digital screens, escaping to nature’s lap by undertaking trekking on hills is an attractive tourism product that the state can market and sell to a large section of domestic and foreign tourists. The spread of digital technology has brought opportunities for marketing such products through digital marketing channels, which policymakers and investors should consider while drawing a roadmap. Assam needs innovative ideas to leverage infrastructure development for sustainable tourism growth.