GUWAHATI: A consultative meeting on tourism organised by the North Eastern Council, Shillong on Thursday deliberated on the need for an exclusive Northeast tourism policy while identifying areas needing attention for development of the tourism sector in the region.
The meeting chaired by the member of NEC, Prof. Biman Kumar Dutta, in the presence of member, NEC, Air Marshal Anjan Kumar Gogoi and Secretary, NEC, K. Moses Chalai, was also attended by major tourism practitioners of the Northeast.
The NEC secretary highlighted how the council and the central government had initiated a slew of measures to enhance the image of the region as a great tourism destination.
He also emphasised on taking constructive steps to increase the number of local as well as international tourists. The consultative meet deliberated on the sector’s potential and various problems requiring special efforts for redressal such as marketing platform in order to help tourism become a catalyst of economic growth and employment generation in the region.
The meet also discussed the significance of professional training of tourist guides to ensure convenience of local and international tourists.
Representatives of World Bank shared how tourism in India was doing and gave specific inputs for the improvement of the sector in the Northeast.
The NEC secretary requested all the stakeholders to work together in resolving the issues and taking forward the commitment of developing the tourism sector.
He further emphasised the need for a collective effort, to improve connectivity and make it more convenient for tourists while creating the right ambience for the growth of tourism, an official statement said.