Vast tourism potential in Assam

Jatindra Nath Mahanta

(The writer can be reached at mahantajn12@gmail.com)

PART-II

6) Tourist Help Desks at the sites and the nearby towns: It is the responsibility of the government to set up Help Centers at the tourist sites and nearby towns. Safety and Security measures for the tourist should be the principal responsibility of these Centers and guides may be employed. All relevant information should be available here.

7) Transport stations with necessary facilities: In Assam, the road transport system is not conducive to comfortable travel. The tourist who wants a joyful holiday, do not appreciate the poor state of affairs in the transport system. Modern comfortable buses, taxis, bikes and bicycles should be made available to the tourists for site seeing and pleasure trips. To bridge this crucial gap, the government can build the transport stations and private sector/entrepreneurs can provide the facilities in these stations. The stations can also be made a part of the Tourist Help Centers.

8) Setting up facilities for River Cruise, Rafting, Canoeing, Trekking, Biking & Rock Climbing: The tourists’ basic objectives in travelling are to enjoy and to see different places. Some tourists are interested in cultural issues, some in religious issues, some in environmental issues, a considerable segment in entertainment related activities, some in social issues and some others, particularly the young tourists look for adventure opportunities. Adventure tourism has significant potential in Assam and its neighboring states. But nothing much has been done towards realizing Adventure Tourism potential. The facilities for river cruise, rafting, canoeing, trekking, biking and rock climbing can be provided at a number of locations. All out effort of the state government is needed in this venture. Once the infrastructure is in place, the entrepreneurs from the locality can be invited to participate in actual operation of the facilities. There is huge employment potential here. Again, a thorough study by a competent body is required to be carried out.

In this regard, the very good work being carried out by Assam Bhoroli Angling & Conservation Association can be cited. They have put up facilities for Angling, Trekking, White Water Rafting and conservation of Golden Mahseer & Chocolate Mahseer at a small village, Potasali Gaon in Sonitpur district of Assam on Balipara-Bhalukpung-Tawang road. The Ecological Camp has living quarters with 10 tents and 2 dormitories for tourists and a lodge for visiting Research Scholars & Scientists. The Eco Camp boasts of 100% occupancy during the period October to March with majority of the tourists hailing from UK. It has been operating successfully since 1993. This model can be replicated at a number of locations situated at river banks/foot hills along Assam’s borders with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram & Bhutan and also in many interior places within Assam. Assam may like to follow Arunachal where fishing/angling are allowed in many locations on “catch and release” basis under strict supervision, as a sport on payment of a reasonable fee against a temporary permit.

This is an important project which can be taken up under North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) along with Water Ways & River Ports Project mentioned earlier in this article.

B) Publicity: Over and above the publicity being carried out through Festivals and Tourism Ambassador, it is important to undertake the following basic exercises –

1) Preparation of a complete list of all tourist attraction sites : A complete list of Temples, Xatras, River Islands, Rivers, Water bodies, Water Falls, Reserve Forest, Wild Life Sanctuary, Hill station, Golf courses, Palaces, First Oil Refinery of Asia, Traditional Handloom & Cottage Industries locations and other Historic places needs to be prepared by Assam Tourism Development Corporation(ATDC).

2) Preparation of list of activities/events: ATDC should undertake this task in earnest. The Activities /Events may include – Rangali Bihu, Bull fight during Bhogali Bihu, Dol Yatra at Barpeta, Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya, Patkai Festival, Rax Lila, Safari at various National Parks/Sanctuaries, Cultural events, Tea making process, Golf, Annual boat race in Kamrup, Trekking, River Cruises, Various Festivals, Bird watching, Angling at Jia Bhoroli River and many other activities which attract tourists.

3) Publicity Materials: It is necessary for ATDC to prepare publicity materials to reflect the true and authentic status of each site and event being publicized to attract the tourists. This should contain complete information about the sites/places such as History, Location with map, Tourism Office, Travel agencies, Places to stay/eat, Road/Rail/Air connectivity, Art & Culture, Entertainment centers and any other interesting feature. This job is best done through a very able committee comprising of a Historian, an Archaeologist, an Anthropologist, a Writer, a Resource Person on local Arts & Culture, a Tourism Expert, a much travelled person and an ace Photographer. The committee may be empowered to co-opt a local resource person for a specific site or event. The tourist should be able to visualize a place or event or a personality from the brochure. The committee may like to consult and follow similar travel books/brochures made for other regions of India as well as abroad. One such book (ISBN 0-86442-594-5) is South India, authored by Christine Niven & five others and published by Lonely Planet Publications, Australia. There are many more.

It is necessary to ensure 100% accuracy in preparing the publicity materials. Any false information will have adverse impact on the tourist once it comes to light. Exaggeration and twisting of facts must be avoided in describing a site, activity and an event. It has been observed that Tourism Brochures and Posters are mainly confined to Kaziranga, Kamakhya and Manas and lately a few other sites and activities. A tourist is not aware of the oldest working refinery in the world with an awesome oil museum at Digboi, the technology behind the man-made lakes of Sivasagar/ Joysagar/ Gaurisagar, the sea of humanity pouring its unabashed love for Bhupen Hazarika on his last journey (audio-visual display), the amazing facts about Sri Sankardev and a host of such other interesting places, personalities and events.

(To be continued)