Cultural tourism is fastest growing global tourism market- Chowna Mein
Namsai
Deputy Chief Minister, Chowna Mein advocate to translate the rich cultural assets into major tourists attraction, Citing cultural tourism as one of the largest and fastest growing global tourism markets, while he was addressing the celebration of World Tourism Day at Arunachal University of Studies, Namsai.
In order to promote cultural tourism, he further said to develop creative industries to promote destinations and enhance competitiveness and attractiveness in the face of globalisation.
He called for planned infrastructure development in the State to provide affordable accommodations, comfortable transportation and to create an ambient, clean & hygienic atmosphere for the tourists to let them feel safe and secure to visit, travel, stay and invest in any part of the State.
He said that the need of the hour is to convert the enormous tourism potential into income generating activities and as an employment creating avenues and called to promote and market finished products of handlooms and handicrafts to the outside world. He said that it is high time to develop and design fine products of handlooms and handicrafts and make it attractive to the tourists by value addition and creativeness.
He said that diverse cultures of the State can be fostered to help places become more attractive to tourists, as well as increasing their competitiveness as locations to live, visit, work and invest in. And added that our multi-colour festivals provides a big platform to promote cultural tourism and can be turned in to major tourists events.
Stressing to harness the potentials of eco-tourism he opined to evolve a policy to involve local communities and let them be partake of the income receive from the tourist enterprise so as to make them realize that bio-diversity can be a source of income too. He said that it will in return result in developing sense of greater protection and conservation of those resources once they are recognized as the source of income.
He also advocate to incorporate attractive and architectural designs in buildings like tourist lodge, circuit/guest houses, bridges etc keeping in minds the traditional blend but with tourism perspective. He said to upgrade historical monuments and religious & heritage sites of the State to attract more tourists and to provide tourist destinations with internet/Wi-Fi facility.
He, however, cautioned that in the efforts to maximize benefits, efforts must also be made to minimize the adverse impacts of the tourism industry on indigenous cultures and biological diversity.
He called for change in the mindsets and attitudes to create a friendly atmosphere for the visitors in the State.
