Dear Editor,
It is sad to see reports like ‘tourists and visitors attacked at Adventure@Menchuka festival’. The festival is slated to be a game changer annual event by Arunachal Government towards tourism development. This is not the first time that it has happened as few years back some hooligans snatched the camera of from the foreign visitors at Ziro Music Fest.
Tourism as we know is one of the most lucrative industries, feasible for the state with a geographical profile like Arunachal Pradesh. It has multiplier positive impact which is known to all. This kind of incidents are a blot to the hard effort of the state.
So, it is pertinent to take steps to avoid such unfortunate happenings. Before embarking into such big events, authorities must ensure the participation of the locals. The people of the particular area should be provided with basic training on tourism etiquette and the other related information. Also, security in the ‘campaign area’ should be ensured, in this regard authorities may take the help of the local youths and groups as deploying police personnel may not be viable. Then there should be a 24X7 quick response team for any unforeseen circumstances.
It must be understood that Tourism is not just about developing infrastructure, and involving famous personalities. it is about changing the mindset of the people that is most important for tourism industry to grow.
Our people have experienced the light of the civilisation a little late. Still, people live under the false pride of tribal might and exhibit a tendency towards isolationism in many areas. Given this, they are inherently unwelcoming towards outsiders and looks down at outsiders as inferior- this is true to a large extent. Therefore, government should take effort towards changing the mindset of the people; thereby making the environment conducive for the tourism industry to flourish in the state.
Sincerely,
Nyatum Doke
Likabali