destination north east

8/3/2019 Destination NORTH EAST

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NMIMS University Branding North East India

Seminar Paper Page1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NORTH EAST WONDERS ..................................................................................................... 4

CHALLENGES IN THE ROADWAY .................................................................................... 6

BRANDING NORTH EAST INDIA ...................................................................................... 8

MARKETING & PUBLICITY: UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEMATIQUE .... 8

Role of tour operators .................................................................................................... 8

SPECIAL PRODUCTS FOR TOURISM ...................................................................... 10

OVERCOMING THE PROBLEM OF CONNECTIVITY AND BASIC

INFRASTRUCTURE ........................................................................................................... 10

ADDRESSING THE SECURITY RESTRICTIONS ...................................................... 13

FUTURE of the UNDISCOVERED PARADISE .............................................................. 14

REFERENCE ............................................................................................................................. 15


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DESTINATION

NORTH-EAST

INDIA!The travelling spirit of man has

survived the centuries. In history

there were cases recorded, which tell the tale ofmans traveling throughout the

centuries. Since the early historical period, traveling is a fascination for man. Travel

tours in the distant past, however were made, for the purpose of pleasure as the concept

of seeking a vacation from work was not prevalent in such a situation.

However there is a significant change in the way tourism can be seen today. Ourholidays are not limited to domestic destinations, but a growing number of people

opting for overseas destinations. In India, people are moving out of the country for

exploring the foreign destinations over the high seas in huge numbers. It comes as a

surprise to me that while we have a large number of destinations in our own country

that are covered all over India, with a wide variety of offerings, but the interest still

lingers in international destination? One reason why Indians have made such a choice is

the loss of faith in BRAND INDIA. Another reason is that we are not able to explore and

use the potential of many places that are

presumed to be distant.

Northeast India has the potential to become

the hub of the Indian tourism industry.With

the pristine mountains, tea gardens, rivers

and traditional culture which is as fresh and

elegant as it has always been, it has

everything you need to be a world class

tourist paradise. People often describe the

North East as a BACKWATER- I would like tothink of it as a gateway to WILD FRONTIER.

Only tenuously connected to the rest of India, Sikkim and Seven Sisters- the states of

Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur- are a

world apart from Indian Plains. The WILD EAST of India where a string of Adivasi

socities have had their way of life protected by impregnable jungles, densely forested

hills and the curtain wall of Himalayas.

In language, culture and attitude, the people of the north eastern end follow the example

of both Tibet and Southeast Asia, as much as the rest of India. It was still a distant land

cast, even during the reign of Mongols and the British.

Figure 1: Tea Garden(Darjeling)


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The entrance to this little-explored region is through the fascinating city of Kolkata,

which happens to be Indias fourth largest city. From this high speed-frivolous city, one

can escape in to the a totally different India, which is rustic in its ways all though

thinking is advanced, where adventures lurk at the end of the dirt road

and where foreign travelers are still news. Despite offering such a unique and diverse

proposition, the area is strangled due to its controversial geo-political history. People

here are very concerned about their safety and security from the cross border activities

and also the various indigenous groups.

The Northeast is still one of the largest regions of the country which have yet not

developed. The trauma of partition in 1947 has not only diluted the speed of their

economic progress but has also taken them behind in time as compared to the other

part of the nation. But now people in the region have become more ambitious due to

which the vision of 2020 was framed by 2020, they aspire to see their region emerge

peaceful, strong, confident, and ready to engage with the global economy. They wouldlike to march on the path of economic, social and cultural progress towards prosperity

and well-being.


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NORTH EAST WONDERS

The whole area presents a huge potential for tourism, which is waiting to be tapped,

high literacy, particularly in states like Mizoram, Meghalaya and Manipur (who are over

the amount of literacy than the national average), low density of population (the

population is 3.79% of the

population, but its geographical area

is about 8%), moderately high

standards of health and a healthy

climate, are important strengths of

the region. The fact that the people

of these countries are familiar

with the English will make even

better equipped for international

tourism.

The North Eastern region has 64% forest cover, an ecological asset(19.39% of the area in India is estimated under forest cover) For those who have

been identified environmental "hot spots" in the world. Relative difficult area has

helped to preserve its pristine natural beauty, its variety of plants and animals,

wild orchids, bamboo varieties of rare medicinal plants and rare one-horned

rhinoceros whose only habitat in this area. Therefore, a fashionable concept of

ecotourism is easy acceptance here. It is a two way process, where tourists and

tour operators will help to strengthen the environment, while the local

environment and to provide resources and support to a very nice holiday.

Northeast Area is a huge differences in culture and lifestyle .However, very different may have a

deterrent effect. The area has so much

variety, it is difficult for potential

tourists to decide where to go and what

to watch. So tourism is responsible for

creating specific routes, or aimed at

private customers. City of Shillong, for

example, has the opportunity to become

another Mcleodganj and Dalhousie. His

laid-back charm and colonial

architecture, cafes, and young rock

bands, and pleasant walks in the

surrounding area a special appeal to

young travelers or couples, honeymoon

Figure 2: Jungle-Monastry-Hills-Rivers

Figure 3: Assam Bihu Dance


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There is great potential for development and adventure tourism, either inwhite water rafting and fishing or hiking in Assam, Arunachal. Those who are

looking for an adrenaline is a lot to do with their time and money.

Another possibility is to develop the pilgrimages. There are countless Buddhistmonasteries and Hindu temples in the area, such as the Tawang Monastery 400

years old and medieval Kamakhya Temple. Spiritual tourism is well known that a

lot of tourists from around the world.

Another type of tourist - and the fashion designers, for example - you can findround Mizoram craft centers more attractive. State sarongs and scarves and

bamboo, and models are excellent.

The benefits of tourist revenue to more than

one. Be the workforce, which can create jobs

and ensure that benefits are shared by a

large number of service providers,accommodation, food and drink, crafts, local

transportation, guides, shopping,

entertainment, photography, etc.. In

addition, tourism allows for decentralized

regional development. Northeast diversity of

needs and desires of the individual tribes,

makes decentralized development is particularly important. Tourism is also to

ensure that development is a city-centric.

Figure 4: Mizoram Craft


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CHALLENGES IN THE ROADWAY

The Vision 2020 document released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2008 for the

Northeastern region earmarks infrastructure-led tourism developmentas one of the

primary hopefuls for revenue generation. Although India is touted to be one of the tentop tourist destinations of the world the Northeast plays a negligible role in the overall

percentage of tourist arrivals in India,

constituting one per cent.

The way most of India tends to view North

East India is as an isolated and homogenous

entity that is at best, exotic and at worst,

unsafe for the layperson who is keen to

explore the region. And unfortunately,officials, intellectuals, scholars, NGO activists

and media persons have not been able to find

a favorable solution to this unsafe tag. In terms

of distance, Delhi is closer to Guwahati than it is

to, say, Bangalore.

Yet the psychological distance is far greater. There could be various reasons forthis. Perhaps, as is sometimes argued, this is a result of the protectionist policies

formulated by the British, seeking to maintain the purity of tribal heritage.

Or it is a consequence of the regions topographical isolation afterIndependence it was connected to the rest of India only by a narrow corridor

between Nepal and Bangladesh.

It is also the unfortunate fall-out of the insurgency that has torn through thisland for decades. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that today our

understanding of the North East is extremely limited.

Even as we discuss it, another issue we tend to overlook is the clubbing of theregion under the umbrella term of Northeast, which is basically a colonialist

categorization that denies individuality to its diverse groups. Instead we tend to

homogenize the region just as we sometimes homogenize the peninsular areasouth of the Vindhyas as South India. Tourism will serve to bring about an

acknowledgement of the diversity of the peoples and cultures within the

Northeastern region.

This leads us to question the role of the media in the Northeast.As far as the

Northeastern region goes, the media tends to focus on ethnic conflicts and under-

development, often neglecting the pioneering developmental efforts made in the region.

In the psyche of the general populace there is the impression that nothing is happening

in the region other than violence by insurgents with a focus on killings, kidnappings andextortions. The oversimplification, overgeneralization and sensationalism with which

Figure 5: Infrastructure- the main issue


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the region is reported have become a norm in national dailies. Besides the media makes

us associate the region with unfamiliar cultural practices which leads us to differentiate

them from us.

Even student-level

interaction in majorIndian universities

has failed to shatter

the stereotypes that

surround those

belonging to this

region. Meanwhile, in

everyday life we tend

to disassociate all that

is familiar about theNortheast the fact

that Arunachal has an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage site; that the Brahmaputra is one of

Indias sacred rivers; that Northeastern cuisine, in the form of thukpas, momos and the

ubiquitous Assam tea, has become a staple across the country which remains hidden

beneath its thick forests and high mountains. An effective way of eroding this

ignorance would be to go there.

Figure 6: Rainbow- North East India


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BRANDING NORTH EAST INDIA

MARKETING & PUBLICITY: UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEMATIQUE

This has two aspects-national and international-both of which work within the umbrella

of the regions forward and backward linkages. Southeast Asia holds great prospects for

the Northeast as a market and vice

versa within the ambits of the Indian

Look East Policy (LEP) and the

Vision 2020 document, which deals

with the international facet of

tourism promotion. Also, developing

backward tourism connectivity with other parts of India is as important an element of

strides in tourism as developing links with Southeast Asian countries, which answers to

the national aspect. For this reason, it is important to recognize tourism as a promising

revenue generator.

ROLE OF TOUR OPERATORS

Publicizing the tourism potential of the Northeast to tour operators at both the national

and international levels is crucial because it is they who establish tourist routes and

make these available through packages and such to visitors. It becomes practical for

tourists to travel on pre-packaged plans and gain permission to travel to different areas

through the right channels, instead of going through the rigour of planning personal

holidays.

DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION

In 2008, the NEC (Northeastern Council) formed the North Eastern States Tourism

Forum (NEST) with representation from the various states to coordinate intra-state and

inter-state tourism plans, such as consolidation of circuits and marketing. Theirmeetings, as suggested on the DoNER website are to be held every quarter. However,

commendable as this exercise is, there is a lack of information in the public sphere

about the content of these meetings, and whether they are even taking place, which is

rather counter-intuitive. Moreover, there is a whole host of information regarding

actionable points and actions taken by the DoNER in its promotion of tourism up on

their website which is sadly outdated (the latest dates back to 2008) and cannot be

corroborated due to the deficiency in public knowledge of these proceedings.


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AUDIO-VISUAL PUBLICITY AND ITS PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPRINT

The audio-visual feature of publicity and its subtle influence on the psychology of the

individual through slogans, films, advertisements and so on can hardly be overstated.

The Vision 2020 document mentions a need for the region to re-brand itself along

these lines; indeed it goes as far as to say that the slogan Paradise Unexplored with

regard to the Northeast inspires instant recall in the mind of an alert traveller. This,

sadly, is far from the truth.

Although all the Northeastern states have competent tourism websites, which are

inevitably the first step in the procurement of information by those interested, they

could certainly be more

user-friendly. As the first

point of contact for a

tourist, a government

tourism website should

have facilities for

accommodation, transport

arrangements and travel

bookings within the state,

or provide direct links to

other websites that provide such services.

For this, models used in other parts of India could provide an excellent starting point.

For instance, the Rajasthan tourism website is available in seven different languagesand the Gujarat website in nine, which immediately amplify their reach. In the same

manner, offering the Northeastern state tourism websites in Southeast Asian languages

would be of assistance in establishing linkages with countries that are in the regions

vicinity. This would also play on

historical cross-border cultural

associations that defy boundaries and

bring in an element of nostalgia and

personal identification, which is an

important trend in heritage tourism, a

key aspect of tourism in the Northeast.

This diaspora-based activity can also

be a catalyst in triggering economic

and infrastructural developments in

the region, thus contributing towards

transforming the Northeast into an

engine of growth.

Tourism is a known dispeller of cultural

bias and the potential for tourism in the Northeastern region is tremendous. The

Ministry of Tourism calls the region a paradise unexplored . Global tourism has been

Figure 7: Online Tourism Portal


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booming and future projections show that this trend will continue. The number of

tourists worldwide is expected to swell to 1.5 billion and receipts from it are estimated

to cross US $ 200 billion. The new generations of cash-rich travelers are increasingly

looking for unique experiences. For these new and growing breed of tourists the

Northeastern states with their variety and uniqueness holds immense attraction. Yet

while Indias share in the world tourist influx is 44 per cent, the Northeasternregions

share is a mere 1.2 percent of that .

SPECIAL PRODUCTS FOR TOURISM

River Cruise Tourism in River Brahmaputra

The Brhmaputra cruise features vidits and attractions such as wildlife viewing (both by

jeep andon elephant back), village walks, tea gardens, exploring country town in

rickshaw rides,barbecues on desertedislands,dance performances and visits to

craftsman shop.

Wildlife and Wilderness arethe main

features of Brahmaputra cruise, uniquesly

targeted at the high end tourists from

Western families and middle ages couples

who can pay at least US 200$ per night, and

make all travel arrangements through tour

operators that are recognised by thegovernment

OVERCOMING THE PROBLEM OF CONNECTIVITY AND BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE

The budget allocation of FY 2011-12 ought to play a significant role in creating

institutional arrangements to provide efficacious ground services at both the

government and private sector levels. The most recent Union budget, announced in

February 2011 by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, has assigned INR 8,000 crore forthe development of the Northeastern region in the

fiscal year 2011-2012, an almost double of the

previous budgetary allocation, and it can be hoped

that a section of it will be invested in tourism

development and produce tangible results. In addition,

the ministry for the development of the Northeastern

region (DoNER) has been allocated INR 1550 crore for

infrastructure development, which is approximately

12 per cent lower than the previous years INR 1,760crore.

Figure 8: RIver Cruise

Figure 9: Infrastructure- Base of the

Tourism Industry


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However, the problem is not of inadequate funds. There is the perennial problem of

funds not reaching their intended recipients, in addition to the worrying gap between

the conceptualization and actualization of the tourism policies of the Northeastern

states. This section will therefore discuss the tools that can facilitate infrastructure-led

tourism development.

INTEGRATED NORTHEAST TOURISM POLICYA combined vision for tourism in the region is arguably the most important element for

its successful implementation, indeed, its centrality is even acknowledged in the

tourism policies of the Northeastern states.

A recognition of intra-state tourism will enable connectivity and communication links as

well as attend to the concern that tourists and tour operators often ignore geographical

demarcations in tourism plans and packages. However, this combined vision also has itsdetractors who believe that it may enhance the enclavization of Assam in joint projects

which would favour the state at the expense of other states in the region.

ABSENCE OF PROPER MARKET STUDIES In 2003, the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) commissioned a study to formulate twenty year

perspective plans for a phased sustainable tourism programme on the basis of

availability of resources, with a different perspective plan for each state. The exercise,

however, and its state-wise recommendations seem to have been largely forgotten.

Interactions with the recently instated Tourism

Minister of Assam, Chandan Brahma, revealed that

a market study is in the pipeline, and there are

efforts being made for destination and circuit

development in the state. Actions that replicate

words are the order of the day.

The tourism policies of the Northeastern states by

and large, do not have a targeted tourist niche ormarket and are quite unfocused in that everything from

adventure tourism, to wildlife, tea-garden and World

War II nostalgia tourism are jostling to be considered.

While all of these sectors hold great potential in the region, it is imperative that the

states undertake intelligent analyses of the profile of tourists that visit them and

develop niche efficiency in the sector that seems to attract the most amount of interest.

To thoughtlessly create supply without fully understanding the demand is unwise.

Figure 10: Centralized Focus on the

Seven Sisters


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INVESTMENT PROMOTIONThe Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture recently

recorded that the Northeast was not geared up for tourism Various plans for the up-

gradation of tourist routes, destinations and accommodation were initiated but have yet

to see the light of day. Reports state that domestic investors are agreeable to devoting acollective amount of INR 7000 crore to investments in the region, but are finding land

acquisition difficult to negotiate. Again, this can be contexualized within the assorted

tourism policies.

The most viable investment model for the Northeast is the Public Private Partnership

(PPP) model and efforts in this direction have been well-documented. However, the

advancements do not seem coherent, and political imperatives often mean that these

projects extend indefinitely beyond their deadline or come to a halt altogether with the

vague promise of being revived at some point in the future.

For the public private partnership to succeed, the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model

could be effective, following the precedent set by IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and

Transport Corporation). IRCTC has proposed to set up budget hotels in the Northeast

based on BOT- a government enterprise would build and operate the premises until

such time as it is ready to hand it over to a private entity. Another major deficit is air

connectivity. Proposals for Greenfield airports in the Northeast have barely taken root

(with the singular exception of the airport at

Pakyong, Sikkim, whose construction is

complete but has yet to be operationalized),and the future of an Open Skies Policy as

introduced by the ASEAN-India Aviation

Cooperation Framework, which could be a

trade and tourism multiplier, is unclear. While

it is unrealistic to expect all the Northeastern

states to have fully operational international

air capabilities, the Ministry of Civil Aviation

can endeavour to improve and develop the

Guwahati airport as a hub for internationaltourism in the region, following the statement

in Assams tourism policy: Guwahati will be developed as a major national and

international air hub.

COMMUNITIZATION Work on integrating tourism circuits should be supplemented by an emergence of rural,

community-based tourism. All versions of the Northeastern states tourism policies

have an identifiable leitmotif: that of sustainable tourism that emphasizes and enhances

community participation.

Figure 11: Guwahati Airport


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Communitization as a concept stresses community participation and a pilot of this will

soon be officially underway in Nagaland once properly legislated. Such programmes

should be given primacy in other states as well because they can empower and motivate

communities to feel personally responsible for the tourism promotion and projection of

the region and areas they belong to.

ADDRESSING THE SECURITY RESTRICTIONS

Tour operators in the Northeast are keen on a review of the Restricted Area Permit

(RAP), Protected Area Permit (PAP) and the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to promote

tourism, many of which escape revision because due to bureaucratic red-tapism and an

unwillingness to periodically appraise the restrictions. The ILP is required for Indian

citizens who wish to visit Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram; the PAP and the

RAP are applicable to foreign nationals who have to be granted special permission to

travel on recognized routes by the relevant authorities. Some other applicable

conditions are: group travel as opposed to individual, restrictions on the number of

days and travel only on recognized routes. There has also been an expression of interest

in this matter from some government representatives, such as the Parliamentary

Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. A convergence of interests between civil

society and certain sections of the

government is rare, and often

beneficial.

PAP restrictions on Manipur, Mizoram

and Nagaland have been lifted for a

year with effect from 1 January 2011

and there have been reports from

Manipur that already there is a distinct

rise the number of visitors to the state.

Nevertheless, in this case, it would be

wise to first consider whether the

easing or removal of these restrictions

and permits would adversely affect the

security of an individual and of the

region, even though they can quite understandably be a hindrance. In addition, there is

the issue of insurgency and conflict in the Northeast. Statements made to the press by

law and order personnel imply that militancy is on the wane in the Northeast which if

true is of significance, as security is an important cog in the wheel of tourism; it can

have a negative effect on both investments and tourism.

Figure 12: PAP Security Areas in NE India


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FUTURE OF THE UNDISCOVERED PARADISE

With so much to offer its a pity that we continue to see this part of the country as an

undifferentiated mass and dont consider it an essential area to visit. To change this

attitude, the Government, media and NGOs must make a united and concentrated effort

to familiarize the rest of the world with the Northeastern region and vice-versa. It is not

enough that we know about momos and wraparound skirts or that they know about

Bollywood. The exchange has to be at a people to people level without the intrusion of

mental barriers.

With its climate and terrain, North East is not fit for manufacturing industry. Thus

Tourism is the answer to all its problems. North East being a late starter, is a virgin land,

a paradise unexplored and thus the route of Tourism can still be determined. They must

go for Niche Tourism / Quality tourism in order to maintain the freshness of the

conserved land.

The tourism policies of the Northeastern states are extremely well-meaning in their

aims and in their grand-standing. However, despite the collective keenness in tourism

development, the translation of assurances from paper to reality has yet to be realized

and actual results are just as obscure as they were yesterday.

The primary hurdles of

publicity, tools of

infrastructure facilitation

and administrative andsecurity review and

reform ought to be first

taken into consideration

in conjunction with

community participation

for the successful

execution of a dynamic

tourism policy.

The need for a successful

brand of the desination

can only be build if there

is sustained effort from the people and the government. It is very essential to

understand that the success will depend upon the participation of the state, central and

the local governments. The belief in the Indian destinations has to be increased amongst

the citizens. The challenge is marketing to our people because we have not done that job

to the very best. The dynamics of global tourism and the increasing demands from

tourists also requires realignment of our products. Flexibility in our policies, faster

actions, better infrastructure, is a must for the Indian tourism industry.


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REFERENCE

Websites

www.chillebreeze.com

www.travellerblog.com

www.travelguideIndia.com

www.NEvision.com

www.incredibleIndia.com

Journals

1.Marketing the island destination of the future: Ecotourism and eTourism strategic

aspects, by Dr. Dimitrios Buhalis, Dr. Mark Hampton and Prof. Richard Butler,

University of Surrey.

2.Merchandising Mauritius an article from Express Travel & Tourism, Indias TravelBusiness Magazine, Issue dated 1 - 15 December, 2002.

3.Lonely Publications

4.Ministry Reports on Tourism

destination north east

Documents