ITANAGAR, 11 Apr: Cultural Affairs Minister Taba Tedir flagged off a familiarisation tour for various tourism stakeholders, under the Dekho Apna Pradesh and the Dekho Apna Desh programmes, from the Banquet Hall here on Tuesday morning.
The minister exhorted the participants to learn about tourism activities during the tour, and to tell others about the tourism potential of Arunachal Pradesh.
“You are the brand ambassadors of the state tourism. You have to tell the tourism prospects of the state to the outer world,” he said.
“Our state is like mini-India, where different tribes reside and practice different cultures and food habits,” Tedir said, adding that “the state will be a tourism hotspot if the stakeholders work harder and make it more vibrant for sustainable economy.”
MLA Laisam Simai, who was also present, said: “It’s time to go for valued and sustainable tourism where it needs every stakeholder’s participation,” and added that “without community involvement, tourism won’t be successful.”
Tourism Secretary Sadhana Deori said that the tourism department has “always been a facilitator and creates platforms for the tourism stakeholders to perform better.”
She informed that the Dekho Apna Pradesh initiative has been launched in the wake of the Covid pandemic, “with the theme ‘Restart the tourism’, by introducing travel within the state by Arunachalees to ensure sustenance of the state tourism industry post Covid-19 pandemic.”
“The government wants to give its people an opportunity to travel within the state, as it will allow not only tourism to flourish but also give Arunachalees an opportunity to travel and explore the vast and amazing state that Arunachal is. The idea is to expand travel to the regional and the national level in the near future,” she said.
Around seven national-level bloggers and YouTubers, including from Assam, Kerala and New Delhi, will be taken to newly created tourist circuits in Tirap and Longding districts. Fifteen stakeholders from Longding district will explore the Itanagar-Pasighat-Aalo-Mechukha-Basar tourist circuit, while 15 stakeholders from Tirap district will explore the Itanagar-Basar-Aalo-Mechukha-Pasighat tourist circuit, and 15 participants from Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi and Dibang Valley districts will explore the Bhalukpong-Bomdila-Dirang-Tawang tourist circuit.
As part of the union tourism ministry’s Dekho Apna Desh initiative, 20 tourism stakeholders from the state will be taken to Kerala and 18 stakeholders will be taken to Sikkim to study the rural tourism concepts being practiced there, according to a release.
The flagging-off ceremony was attended by, among others, Tourism Director Abu Tayeng, Deputy Directors Gedo Eshi and Bengia Manna Sonam, and APTOA president John Panye, the release stated.
