Despite a myriad of potential, no concerted effort has been put into developing the tourism industry of the Northeastern states as a whole. Beginning from adventure tourism to trekking, places of both historical and religious importance, wildlife, flora and fauna and rich tribal culture, etc., the region has everything that could attract tourists from all over the world. It is high time for both the Centre and state governments of the region to come forward to develop the region into a year round tourist hub. This will aid not only in familiarising travellers with the rich cultural heritage of the region, but will also help the youth of the region to earn their livelihoods by helping tourists discover the region. Thus far, in the tourism circle the Northeast is most commonly known for Kaziranga, the abode of one-horned rhinos and Kamakhya, a Hindu temple. Both places are situated in Assam and attract a lot of tourists worldwide every year. Many tourism experts in a lighter vein have suggested that tourism in the Northeast starts with Guwahati and ends in Kaziranga. Despite the widespread success of the yearly hornbill festival in December in Nagaland, the rest of the year sees relatively low influx of tourists. Quite surprisingly, other potential destinations find absolutely no or very little mention despite having a lot to offer to travelers. Tawang, Sela Pass, Bumla Pass, Nuranang Falls, etc. in Arunachal Pradesh, Kangla Fort and Keibul National Park in Manipur, Nagaland’s Mount Saramati and Dzukou valley in Nagaland-Manipur border, caves in Meghalaya among others, are only known either to the local populace or to very few devoted tourists. From the apathy shown towards these locations by policy makers in being developed as tourist spots and joint travel experience package, it appears as though they are unaware of the existence of such places.
It is easy and incorrect to simply blame unrest in the region as a major roadblock for the development of tourism. The fact remains that there is very limited record of travellers facing trouble while exploring the Northeast. Like other parts of India, the Northeastern people too welcome tourists with warmth and hospitality during their stay. It is quite astonishing that notwithstanding tourists having little to no complaints about the Northeast, the false propaganda has been on going for years. Even now, though the Northeast is experiencing peace with almost all major organisations having come to the negotiating table to find an effective solution for their genuine grievances, leaving arms, tourists are still deterred from travelling to the Northeast on the pretext of unrest. In Jammu & Kashmir, despite the prevailing unrest, the “paradise on the earth” continues to attract a sea of tourists every year. Very recently, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were seen enjoying the snow in Gulmarg. Thus, it is not unrest, but poor infrastructural facilities, limited connectivity, etc. that have kept tourists from neighbouring states and countries away from the Northeast. It is high time that Northeast India is prominently placed in the country’s tourism map.
