Attracting tourists: few pointers for sustainable development

Heartening to learn that the Chief Minister of Manipur urged the Prime Minister of India to make the state ‘a must visit place’ during the ongoing Destination North East 2020; a mega online event with the theme “Emerging Delightful Destinations”. CM Biren also reportedly eulogized about the rich and varied natural, cultural and traditional resources waiting to be explored and experienced by the visitors. He also spoke about the ‘unexplored beauty’ of the place, which in every sense of the word is true. While the point the Chief Minister raised is laudable, the bigger question that need a comprehensive answer is: in this age and time, why are these places still unexplored? If anyone would care to delve a little deeper, a lot of misgivings regarding the efforts of the state government in its expressed attempts at developing tourism in the state will emerge.
The local government sector has traditionally played an important role in supporting tourism development of local areas. This included the provision of infrastructure, the development of tourist attractions and experiences, support for festivals and events and the implementation of tourist promotion plans. Tourism plans, policies and development objectives are core elements of the state, City and local Development Plans. Importantly, the sector should mobilise a network of stakeholders including agencies, community groups and the private sector to invest in and promote their local tourist offering. These activities should be driven by the ambition of each local authority to harness the development opportunity of areas throughout the state as places to live in, invest in and visit in a sustainable way typically celebrating local assets and heritage.
The Government should draw up an Action Programme for effective local government in which the key element of the reform of local government should be the strengthening of role the tourism sector plays in economic development. Tourism is recognised as an important driver of the local, regional and national economies, and therefore is a central component of the economic ambitions of all local authorities. The tourism objectives for each local area should be clearly stated in each Local Economic and Community Plan. After thorough deliberation and approval of the plan, each local authority needs to launch the Tourism Strategy Statements and Workplans. These should be aligned with the objectives of the Local Economic and Community Plans. The Tourism Strategy Statements and Workplans are aligned with local, regional and national strategies and plans, in particular the Regional Action Plans for Jobs and the Government’s tourism policy.
And what is the ground reality regarding facilities and incentives for tourists at present? Besides most tourist places in the valley area, while the roads to a few district headquarters can be accessed most times of the year, many of the places remains unreachable during rainy seasons. Besides the condition of the roads, there is a total lack of uniform tourist processing system in these places which shows the absence of a comprehensive and sustainable tourism policy in the state. Except for a few government guest houses run by the locals which are at best shoddy and ill-maintained, facilities for overnight stays are very limited in most places. Looking from the point of a tourist, what is required is a comprehensive data of the tourist-oriented places, hassle-free and quick processing system, a reliable and safe mode of transport and functional roads, and most importantly, local contacts or facilities including local guides, foods and stays with clean and basic facilities which would make all the difference in the experience for the tourists, one which will determine the success or failure of all the efforts and plans. It would be a better option for the state government to rope in local authorities, private groups engaged in similar activities in planning and execution of the policies rather than make the plans and works a happy hunting ground for the unscrupulous contractors with neither the concept nor the passion for developing tourism or even the expectations of a tourist.