Guwahati, September 27: “It is time for the India’s sun rise state of Arunachal Pradesh to convert its enormous tourism potential to income generating and employment avenues creating activities through development of planned infrastructure to provide affordable accommodation, comfortable transportation and creation of clean and hygienic ambience for tourists,” said the Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein.
Speaking during the celebration of World Tourism Day at Arunachal University of Studies, Namsai, the Deputy CM said it was a must to create and atmosphere in the state where the tourists would feel safe and secure to visit, travel, stay and even invest in any part of the State.
He also called to promote and market finished products of handlooms and handicrafts to the outside world. He said that it was 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 advocated to translate the rich cultural assets of the frontier state into major tourists attraction citing cultural tourism as one of the largest and fastest growing global tourism markets.
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 globalization. He said that diverse cultures of the State could 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.
“Our multi-colour festivals provide a big platform to promote cultural tourism and can be turned in to major tourists events,” he said.
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 generated from the tourist enterprise so as to make them realize that bio-diversity can be a source of income too. He said that it would, 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 advocated for incorporation of 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.