Tourism in Sikkim gets a leg up

Tourism in northeast gets a leg up, courtesy govt employees

5 Feb 2009, 0550 hrs IST, Himanshi Dhawan, TNN


NEW DELHI: At a time when domestic tourism is experiencing sluggish growth, central government employees have bucked the trend to make the northeast
a much sought after tourism destination. About 3 lakh government employees — nearly 8% of the workforce — visited the northeast region (NER) between May 2008-January 2009 taking advantage of facilities like complimentary airfare and leave encashment.

The relaxation in the leave travel concession (LTC) rules introduced in May 2008 has contributed in the increased traffic in states that had otherwise been marred by violence, poverty and lack of development.

The ministry of development of northeast region has relaxed leave travel allowance for central government employees so that group A and B are entitled to travel from their place of posting or nearest airport to a city in the northeast region or nearest airport.

All other categories of employees are entitled to travel by air to a city in northeast from Guwahati or Kolkata. There were subsequent alterations in the policy by which only the cheapest economy sector airfare for that sector was to be reimbursed.

Not to be left behind, foreign tourist arrivals have been increasing steadily. Foreign travellers in Assam -- a major gateway -- have increased from 12,899 in 2007 to 14,426 while Sikkim has seen an increase from 17,498 to 19,154 for the same period. Mizoram has also seen a 35% jump in tourism in just the past year.

Tourism joint secretary Leena Nandan said, "The northeast region is using tourism to realise great economic potential. In fact, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a 20% increase in tourism since last year."

But statistics apart, visitors are floored by the untouched natural beauty and the depth of experience. A central government employee who travelled to Sikkim under the scheme said, "It was a wonderful holiday at such a reasonable expense. After the visit I recommended the trip to other colleagues."

In fact, travellers speak of not only spending a quiet time at the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim but also enjoying a `plantation holiday' in Arunachal Pradesh amidst apple, kiwi and asparagus orchards. Mizoram and Manipur have, on the other hand, opened up rivers for rafting, kayaking and other adventure sports. Aggressive promotion and better air connectivity has also given a positive push to the region.

Avinash Kohli, a pioneer in adventure tourism and currently advisor to the Assam government, said the northeast had tremendous potential. "We are training people in rafting and kayaking. There is great future in the high end value tourism," Kohli said.

However, this influx has led to a severe shortage of accommodation and lack of infrastructure. A northeast council member said, "Since October 2008, the number of visitors has increased to a large extent. In fact, very often accommodation becomes a problem as most of the hotels are packed."

Kohli added that the lack of infrastructure and leadership could kill the destination. "We need to keep the backpackers out who are looking for drugs and cheap fun. They have ruined Goa and they will spoil the beauty of the northeast also," he said.