ITANAGAR: To harness the potential of Tourism in Arunachal Pradesh, the state would like to develop Tourism facilities along the approved tourist circuits and the various tourism destinations as per the master plan prepared by TCS (Tata Consultancy Service) under North Eastern Council (NEC), according to state Principal Secretary for Tourism, G N Sinha.
Addressing the second Inter State Regional Conference of Tourism Ministers of East and North States held at Shillong yesterday, Mr Sinha argued for developing inter state tourism circuits so that tourists coming to Arunachal Pradesh do not face trouble in Assam, official sources said here on Saturday.
The conference was inaugurated by Union Minister of Tourism, Subodh Kant Sahai and attended by Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Tourism secretary, R H Khwaja, Tourism Ministers of Orissa, West Bengal, Manipur, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Parliamentary Secretary (Tourism ) Nagaland, senior officials of union and states governments, representatives from Travel and Tourism Industry and others.
Urging early completion of green field airport at Itanagar and the road connectivity in pipeline, Mr Sinha stressed on reliable and safe helicopter service at different locations in the state.
He said the state has 82 % area under forest cover which displays phenomenal bio-diversity, adding this offers great opportunity for promoting nature-based sustainable tourism.
There is a need to harness this potential and a policy planning group compromising of representatives from Tourism and Forest Departments, tour operator and experts will soon be put in place to advice on the future course of action for tourism development in the state, the secretary said.
Arunachal offers great potential for Adventure Tourism, Cultural Tourism and Heritage Tourism, he said.
Mr Sinha said there is need to further relax protected area permit (PAP) regime in the state and also the training of Tourism officials and the members of the community for bringing professionalism in tourism services.
Arunachal Tourism Department will also adhere to the plans and programme under the National Mission on Himalayan Ecosystem under the National Action Plan on Climate Change( NAPCC) formulated by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change .
He requested the Ministry of Tourism to issue guidelines to state governments for creating tourism facilities in the Himalayan region keeping in view the imperatives of National Action Plan on Climate Change as well as the state action plan on climate change (SAPCC).
He argued for giving generous financial support to Arunachal for Tourism development at an early date. (UNI)