YINGKIONG, 19 Nov: Health Minister Alo Libang expressed hope that tourism in Upper Siang district will flourish with the improvement in road communication.
“Upper Siang is one of the districts having tremendous potential in tourism sector. But it could not attract tourists in large numbers in the earlier days, despite having all these potentials, mainly due to rough terrain, inaccessibility of areas by automotive roads and network connectivity,” Libang said while addressing the concluding function of a two-day tourism workshop here on 17 November.
“Now everything has changed, and Yingkiong is no longer a remote place. Yingkiong town is now connected to the rest of the country through NH 513 and NH 52 from Pasighat in East Siang district, where a newly built airport has been operationalized,” the minister said.
Upper Siang DC Taper Pada said that the district is inhabited by various sub-tribes of the Adi community, forming a unique cultural diversity in the district.
“However, shortage of accommodations is a major setback for the district. Tourists cannot plan their trip to the district due to lack of accommodations,” he said.
He thanked the tourism department for organizing the programme to introduce homestay hospitality in the district.
Earlier, the team led by Tourism Deputy Director Bengia Manna Sonam had conducted a similar programme in Tuting.
Attending the programme, ADC Starlie Jamoh emphasized on promoting homestay facilitators who provide accommodations to tourists.
“Tuting is receiving a lot of Buddhist tourists every year from all parts of the country to visit the pilgrimage sites like Titapuri, Eko Dumbing and Reutala during June to August,” he said.
Sonam and District Tourism Officer Tater Mize also spoke.