SHILLONG: The northeastern states should ensure that they get a fair share of the benefits from a booming global tourism sector and take steps to sensitise stakeholders on the intricate relations between sustainable tourism and environment, said a senior member of the North Eastern Council (NEC) on Monday.
NEC Economic Advisor W Synrem, while speaking on Day 1 of the two-day national seminar on ‘Sustainable tourism: Striking a Socio-economic and environmental balance’ at Synod College, pointed out that international tourism services have recorded spectacular growth since 1970s despite socio-political-economic upheavals.
He defined sustainable tourism as an industry committed to making less impact on environment and local culture while helping to generate employment for locals.
“The main idea is to ensure that development is a positive experience for the local people, tourism companies and the tourists,” he said at the seminar organised by the Department of Sociology.
“It is time for the northeastern states to wake up and reap the maximum benefits from the tourism sector,” he added.
Indicating figures of tourist travels, he said international tourist arrivals crossed one billion whereas in 1970, there were 166 million international tourists worldwide.
“In 2012, visitors spent $1 trillion on travel excluding international passenger transportation expenses valued at $213 billion,” Synrem said.
Meanwhile, AK Nongkynrih, head of the Department of Sociology, NEHU said a part of the state tourism policy of 2011 also made a mention of sustainable tourism.
Stating that there has to be a regulation for home-stays in the state because “presently it somewhat seems to be free for all”, he said, “Tourism can be seen as an economic activity at the same time it provides scope for cross-cultural interaction.”
“Tourism and social work are inseparable and efforts should be made to sensitise tourists on local culture,” he added.
Nongkynrih pointed to the requisites of sustainable tourism, which include better policy framework, regulations on attitudinal behaviour of both hosts and visitors and licensing for recognition, among others.
