Reimeingam Marchang
North Eastern Region (NER) has an enormous prospect for the growth of tourism industry considering the striking natural landscape, biodiversity, cultural heterogeneity and people’s hospitality. The dynamics of investment by the Government of India (GoI) on promotion and development of tourism sector in the region is evident. In recent years, the State Governments of NER has increased capital expenditure on tourism by about 14% from Rs.236.2/- crore during 2018-19 (Accounts) to Rs. 270.1/- crore during 2019-20 (Revised Estimates). During 2020-21 the budget estimates for tourism under capital expenditure was Rs. 258.8/- crore. Spending on tourism constituted 0.05% to the total capital expenditure during 2018-19 that has slightly increased to 0.06% each during 2019-20 and 2020-21. Capital expenditure on tourism constituted 0.06% to the Gross State Domestic Product (at 2011-12 prices) during 2018-19. It has slightly increased to 0.07% during 2019-20. The paradigm of the Government spending on tourism development shows a slight improvement but remains considerably low in the region. The Government spending on tourism remains substantially low to capitalize tourism sector and to make the driver of economic growth in the region. The Governments of NER continue to spend about only one percent on tourism from the developmental capital expenditure between 2018-19 and 2020-21.
In NER, there are many tourist circuits identified and promoted for tourism based on various themes such as ethnic culture, topography, and vegetation; and on interests such as pilgrimage, heritage, trekking, ecotourism, archaeological and water tourism. According to the Ministry of Tourism (2020), the GoI has aimed to position tourism as a major engine of economic growth and to harness its effects for job and eradication of poverty in an environmentally sustainable approach. To achieve the aims the Ministry of Tourism of the GoI has formulated various Plan schemes namely tourism product and infrastructure development, promotion and marketing, human resource development, skill development, market research and computerisation and information technology. In order to develop the tourism infrastructure the Ministry of Tourism has introduced a scheme Swadesh Darshan since 2014-15. Since 2014 the Ministry of Tourism is developing tourism infrastructure under Swadesh Darshan that is an integrated development of theme based tourist circuits covering NER. Under Swadesh Darshan scheme there are 15 thematic circuits to be developed. In the region, six thematic circuits namely eco circuit, heritage circuit, North-East circuit, spiritual circuit, tribal circuit, and wildlife circuit are being developed.
Until 2018-19, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned 76 numbers of projects under Swadesh Darshan for development of various types of circuit houses for promotion and development of tourism across India. As much as 16 number of the project (comprising of 21%) amounting to Rs.1,371.86/- crore (constituting 23.6%) were sanctioned for the NER out of the 76 projects costing Rs.5,813.65/- crore for India. Each of the eight NE states has got two each project under the Swadesh Darshan. GoI sanctioned larger fund for the region as its average cost per project amounts to Rs.85.74/- crore when compared to the average cost for the country (Rs.76.50/- crore per project).
Tourism is flourishing as the number of tourists including from both domestic and foreign is rapidly growing in NER. Indians as well as foreigners are increasingly fond of North Eastern states that are evident from the increased numbers of tourist in the region. The number of tourist in the region has touched one crore in the year 2019 from a mere 18 lakh tourist in 2001. Tourists in NER continue to account for less than one percent of the total tourists in India, against its eight percent geographical area and less than four percent of the population contribution to the country, signalling that tourism industry is still underdeveloped and it need further promotion and investment.
The region is increasingly exposed to and gaining popularity momentum across the world; and otherwise for the citizens of India. Foreign tourism increases significantly in the region as its contribution in the country’s foreign tourism increases from 0.8% in 2001 to 1.7% in 2019. The foreigners are increasingly choosing the region as their tourist destination probably due to the existence of unexplored distinctive places, heritage, environment and society in the region, opening-up of the region’s economy, and improvement of peaceful environment. Whereas the domestic tourism declines in NER as its contribution in India’s domestic tourism falls from 0.7% to 0.4% during the same period.
In NER, Assam remains the top tourist destination for domestic tourism. Both in 2001 and 2019, Assam contributed about 57% of the total domestic tourist of NER. There is an improvement in the domestic tourism in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim as their share increases in 2019 over 2001. For the rest of the NE states domestic tourism remains almost unchanged.
For foreigners, earlier Sikkim the most peaceful State, was the most preferred tourist destination in the region; however, in recent time Tripura, despite being a relatively disturbed area, has became the top foreigner tourist destination. In 2001, 73% of the foreigner tourists of NER chose Sikkim as their tourist destination; however, in 2019, 60% of the entire foreigner tourists in NER visited Tripura. During the same period, foreigners increasingly prefer Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura as a place to visit as tourist destination. In the remaining NE states, there was either a decline or stagnation in their share in the total foreigner tourist in the region.
