TURA: With an aim to help locals and boost tourism at Balpakram — the biggest national park in Garo Hills — a large number of young boys and girls were given the opportunity to undergo training as guides during a two-day programme last week at the entry to Balpakram National Park (BNP) in Hatisia, South Garo Hills district.
Balpakram National Park is one of the two national parks of Meghalaya located in the east corner of Garo Hills bordering Bangladesh and Khasi Hills. It is maintained and managed by Meghalaya Forest Department’s Wildlife Division.
Tourism in Garo Hills has been witnessing unprecedented rise in recent years and Balpakram has been one of the most sought after destination. This year, up to mid May, Balpakram National Park has recorded tourist footfall of more than 12,000 visitors, the highest till date.
However, there are no trained tourist guides and adequate staff to handle the huge inflow of tourists to BNP.
With this view, A’chik Tourism Society (ATS) approached the Deputy Commissioner of South Garo Hills for financial assistance to organise the two-day tourist guide training programme at Balpakram for the youth of the surrounding six villages adjacent to the national park.
In the training that took place on November 12 and 13, close to 220 youth, elders, women SHGs, local headmen and staff of BNP participated.
Separate workshops were held for elders, womenfolk and the youth on homestay ideas, organic farming, chicken rearing and handicrafts, among others.
The youth, in particular, were given intensive training on how to be a successful tour guide, communication skills, time managements, first aid, camping tips and others.
Organised by the A’chik Tourism Society (ATS) and supported by
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Balpakram finds favour…
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On the final day of the training, South Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Hubert B. Marak graced the occasion as the chief guest and gave encouraging words of advice to the young recruits about the potential of tourism.
After the final screening and practical sessions, 116 guides were selected as the official Balpakram Tour Guides and the Deputy Commissioner handed over the certificates to the trainees and the tour guide vests to the Ranger Officer of BNP. The guides will be under the supervision of the management of BNP and official vests will be given to the guide on duty.
The training produced 116 local guides, including 15 girls. All the guides are from nearby villages like Hatisia, New Bonbera, Rambil Gittim, New Rompa, Sanbana, Kanai and Mahadeo. Three other young enthusiasts from Emangre and one from Siju also attended the training programme.