New Delhi, Sep 17 (Representative) It is a priority of the Ministry of Tourism to take up development of tourism in the North Eastern States and particularly for Mizoram, Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has said. Addressing a webinar on ‘Unlocking Travel and Tourism of Mizoram; Challenges and Preparedness’ organized by FICCI, jointly with the Department of Tourism, Government of Mizoram, on Thursday, she said, ”There is much that can be done.
Tourism is a huge employment generator, and it will also help to conserve and protect the region.” “The Tourism Minister has proposed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to add more routes to priority destinations under viability gap funding and Mizoram is going to be a significant part of that strategy. Under the Swadesh Darshan program, many projects are being implemented to improve the tourism infrastructure. Under PRASAD, the Minister has approved many projects that have been identified from the pilgrimage point of view,” she said. The official said home stays and capacity building were segments that must be worked on as it adds many socio-economic dimensions in terms of retaining skilled manpower to work in their hometowns. “For a tourist, the kind of experiential learning that one gets by staying with a local family is immense. Outreach and promotion are a significant part of the strategy for the north eastern region to showcase the unique identities of the eight north eastern states and how to seamlessly integrate the travel experience of the tourist across states,” she said.
Ms Brar said, ”The Ministry of Tourism is fully committed to work towards the promotion of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality in the region. The Ministry has created working groups with the industry and we request FICCI to work with the Ministry to create dedicated and effective working groups for the North Eastern region so that we can make a difference in the next few months. The Ministry and Mizoram Tourism needs to work dedicatedly on developing the destinations and with a common strategy a lot can be achieved.” K Lalrinzuali, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Mizoram, said, “The pandemic has brought about a paradigm shift in the tourism market and a new trend is emerging which emphasizes safety, health consciousness and sustainability. Our immediate challenge is to take a practical and progressive approach towards reopening and gaining people’s confidence to gradually resume travel. We must ensure that the health and safety of our travellers remain our top priority. But we must remember that we cannot afford to shut ourselves off indefinitely for fear of the coronavirus. We must actively try to manage the situation and work with like-minded industry partners and stakeholders to strengthen our position.“ ”Mizoram Tourism is planning to capture these opportunities and we have been focussing on the facets of safety and sustainability. We have recently unveiled the Mizoram Responsible Tourism Policy 2020 to drive our reinvention and recovery process. Our vision is to position Mizoram as a top safe and sustainable tourist destination in the entire country. We plan to be in the bucket list of every traveller who are environmentally conscious and is looking for safe and sustainable travel options,” Ms Lalrinzuali added.