[ Lalkholen Kipgen ]
A growing appetite for green travel
The global demand for travel and tourism has increased each year, and so has the number of footfalls and contribution to the host country economies. The World Travel & Tourism Council forecasts that in 2024 the sector will contribute 10% of the global GDP, a 12.1% year-on-year jump to $11.1 trillion, and support nearly 348 million jobs worldwide (WTTC, 2024).
Amid this boom, ecotourism has emerged as a buzzword, promoted as ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people’ (Das, S 2011). In essence, ecotourism strives to give travellers a taste of unspoiled nature without spoiling it, channelling tourist dollars into conservation and community welfare.
India, with its astounding ecological diversity, stands poised to ride the ecotourism wave. The country is recognised as one of the world’s 12 megadiverse nations (Mitra & Khan, 2017). It hosts four global biodiversity hotspots, of which the eastern Himalayas and the Indo-Burma are nestled in India’s remote Northeast India (Hameed, B, & Khalid, A, 2018). Nowhere is this richness more evident than in Arunachal Pradesh, India’s northeastern frontier known as the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’.
Biodiversity and beauty
Arunachal Pradesh’ landscape ranges from tropical foothills (~50m elevation) to towering peaks above 7,000m. This vast altitudinal span, combined with heavy seasonal rains, has fostered lush forests blanketing nearly four-fifths of the state. As of 2021, forest cover stood at 66,430 sq km (79.3% of Arunachal’s area), second only to Madhya Pradesh in India (India State of Forest Report, 2021). These forests are a Noah’s Ark of species: over 4,500 flowering plants, 119 species of rhododendrons, and 600 wild orchids thrive here (Ngilyang Tam, 2025). The state’s jungles are a birder’s paradise with 700+ bird species recorded (Ngilyang Tam, 2025).
Big fauna is equally impressive: elephants, tigers, and wild buffalo roam the lowland rainforests, while higher elevations shelter elusive creatures like snow leopards and red pandas (Ngilyang Tam, 2025).
For travellers seeking pristine wilderness, Arunachal is a dream. The state has 25 protected areas (including two national parks, a tiger reserve, and multiple wildlife sanctuaries) that form a patchwork of relatively untouched habitats. The state has demarcated five major ecotourism circuits aligned with river valleys – Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Lohit, and Tirap circuits – to showcase different regions.
Infrastructure gaps & challenges
Despite sweeping vistas and rare flora and fauna, reaching these eco-destinations can be an adventure in itself and not in the way most tourists bargain for. The state’s infrastructure deficits are a major roadblock to ecotourism growth. Roads, accommodations, and visitor facilities remain unevenly developed across different sanctuaries and circuits. For example, the Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary (Tiger Reserve) in the west has a forest rest house in Tippi for visitors, but over in eastern Arunachal’s Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary, there is no lodging inside or near the park. The nearest stay is in Pasighat town, 40 kms away.
Similarly, Tale Valley Wildlife and Namdapha National Park have basic forest rest houses, yet it becomes virtually inaccessible in the monsoon due to muddy, landslide-prone roads.
Beyond communication and amenities, activities also need improvement. Many sanctuaries lack guided trails, interpretation centres, or trained local guides, which are essential for a quality ecotourism experience. Inconsistent infrastructure means that visitors can’t be assured of even basic comforts once they venture beyond the main towns. This deters the average nature lover or casual tourist.
Ironically, the few areas with comparatively better facilities have become favourites of hardcore birders and researchers, but broader tourist numbers remain low. There is a clear infrastructure disparity that needs bridging. A holistic development approach, balancing eco-friendly construction with conservation, is required to open up more sites in a sustainable manner. The state government must invest in ‘4As’ for ecotourism: access, amenities, activities, and awareness. This includes not just building roads or cottages, but also training local youths as naturalists, setting up small visitor centres, and formulating trail guidelines to manage footfall without damaging the environment. Crucially, any development must heed ecological limits (GoI, MoEFCC, 2018).
Locals as stakeholders
Ecotourism’s long-term success in Arunachal will hinge on making local communities true partners in the enterprise. Fortunately, there are inspiring home-grown models to emulate.
Take the case of the Nyishi tribe around Pakke Sanctuary. Historically, Nyishi hunters targeted hornbills for their feathers and beak, contributing to declining hornbill populations. But in recent years, a remarkable turnaround has occurred in the community, aided by volunteers and the forest department, which launched a hornbill nest adoption programme and the annual Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival to celebrate and protect the state’s large hornbills (Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme, Annual Report, 2022). Villagers became ‘nest guardians’, monitoring hornbill nests and preventing poaching. The outcome was that hornbill numbers are rebounding, and the festival draws visitors and media attention to the village each year.
This success story underscores a powerful lesson: engaging local people as stewards of wildlife creates a win-win: it safeguards biodiversity while giving communities at stake (and some income) through tourism and donations. Similar community-based efforts could be scaled up across Arunachal’s 12 wildlife sanctuaries and community reserves. If communities are empowered through incentives like homestay programmes, guiding opportunities, or revenue-sharing from park fees, they will have tangible reasons to protect the natural assets. Vis-à-vis, it will lead to job creation, resource percolation and community involvement and also a thriving wildlife sanctuary in the long run.
The way forward
Unlocking Arunachal’s ecotourism potential will require more than piecemeal projects; it needs a guiding policy framework and political will. Currently, there is a patchwork of plans, but no comprehensive state ecotourism policy to coordinate efforts. Formulating is a priority. The policy must align with national guidelines which permit ecotourism in carefully designated zones of forests, and it should set clear rules on permissible infrastructure, waste management, and carrying capacity for each eco-destination in line with Guidelines on Sustainable Ecotourism in Forest and Wildlife Areas (GoI, MoEFCC, 2021).
The encouraging news is that connectivity, long a bottleneck, is gradually improving. The state now boasts four operational airports: Hollongi (Itanagar), Pasighat, Tezu, and Ziro. New flight routes under the regional UDAN scheme are bringing tourists and locals alike faster and closer. On the road front, the mighty Trans-Arunachal Highway (1,500+ km cutting across the breadth of the state) is nearing completion and will connect all 26 districts’headquarters seamlessly from Tawang to Kanubari (PWD, 2008).
In conclusion, Arunachal Pradesh stands at a crossroads where it can harness ecotourism as an engine for sustainable development, protecting its forests by showcasing them responsibly. If infrastructure gaps are filled and policies put in place to involve local communities, ecotourism can tackle twin challenges: provide green livelihoods for tribal communities and generate funds for conservation, all while offering visitors an unforgettable experience in India’s adventurous frontier. (The contributor is a senior research associate at Pahle India Foundation)
