World Tourism Day: Ziro brings Swkhe Lake to the Forefront

A Correspondent

ZIRO: World Tourism Day was celebrated at the picturesque Swkhe Lake – an effort by the Tourism department to move away from the conventional venues of halls to the lap of the Mother Nature – on Friday.

Attending the programme, Tourism Minister Nakap Nalo said, “Growth of tourism in Ziro is an exemplary example, which should be emulated by all of us. The soft spoken Apatanis and their amiable nature have accelerated the tourism activities in the area.”

“The Tourism department although young, has endeavoured to mark the presence of Arunachal Pradesh in the world tourism map. Few wrong decisions and policies did stall the growth of tourism in the past few years, but we shall now on work with renewed zeal and focus on sustainable tourism.”

“The department will in a phase manner focus on the places that have potential to grow into a tourist hub. Swkhe Lake will be one of the focus areas,” he added while announcing a floating cottage and a restaurant under the CM Paryatak Vikas Yojana.

“These infrastructure have to be manned professionally, to create a vibrant economy around the area,” he further added.

Agriculture Minister Tage Taki while addressing the gathering said, “Athithi Devo Bhav is the mantra to increase tourists flow and ensure they come back again. Creating an ambience for the tourist to feel safe and secure will increase their flow.”

“Since all the tourism activities in Ziro revolve around its scenic beauty and the weather, maintaining an ecological balance is a must,” he further added.

Sharing details of Swkhe Water Conservation project which is his pet project he said, “The Swkhe Water Conservation project which is primarily aimed at augmenting water supply to the Ziro valley and to recharge the water table has become a main tourist attraction today. It has also become a place for migratory birds to flock in every year, which is a sign of a healthy ecosystem.”

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