Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI), in collaboration with Assam Tourism, conducted a workshop on Responsible Tourism: Issues and Practices in Guwahati on the 23rd and 24th of March 2012. This was the tenth in the series of ESOI workshops but the first to take place in the North East of India. The response from the tourism fraternity in the North East was encouraging with participation from across the region.
Over 70 participants attended the workshop; primarily consisting of travel and tour operators as well as representatives from hotels and resorts. There were also representatives from some relevant local NGOs.
Inaugurating the workshop, Mr. Chandan Bhrahma, the Honourable Minister for Tourism in Assam, welcomed and applauded the ESOI’s efforts to promote ecotourism throughout the country. He expressed the hope that the workshop would lead to constructive discussion that would encourage more Responsible Tourism in the state. He added that the Assam Government was committed to promoting Ecotourism and that Assam would become a patron member of ESOI.
In his special address, Mr. Anurag Singh, Managing Director of Assam Tourism Development Corporation, spoke about the potential for Ecotourism in Assam and highlighted the heritage locations and national parks in the state. He said Assam was ‘endowed with nature’s bounty’ and that it was the duty of the tourism industry to safeguard it. Mr. Singh recognized that Assam must now focus on managing its natural resources in a sustainable manner to ensure they are safeguarded for future generations.
The workshop aimed at creating general awareness about ecotourism and promoting various eco tourism practices that can be adopted by the tourism fraternity in the region. To that end, speakers gave presentations on a wide range of issues that included conservation, waste management, and the legal regime.
The need for community involvement in tourism practices was emphasized with successful examples being cited from Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Mr. Pema Wange, WWF India project officer, gave the example of Western Arunachal Pradesh where 60% of the forest area is under community ownership. He showed how, under the Community Conserved Area (CCA) scheme, local communities began to take pride in the natural resources and took much more responsibility in conserving the flora and fauna.
The discussions on eco friendly architecture and renewable sources of energy had particular relevance to the North East considering the eco-sensitive nature of the region and the lack of basic infrastructure. Ms. Mariyam Zakiah, architect with Arch I Platform, outlined some of the work her organization has done in developing low cost, eco friendly buildings. She cited the example of an Arch I project conducted in Sikkim where the locals were taught how to insulate their houses by using used glass bottles on the roofs of their houses. This practice could be replicated in remote areas throughout the North East. Mr. Mrinal Choudhary, Director of the Assam Energy Development Agency, spoke with examples about the availability of alternative energy sources that can be used by tourism practitioners in the region.
A clear conclusion from the workshop was that there had to be a collective effort from the tourism fraternity in the North East to promote ecotourism in the region. Instead of working separately, states had to engage and collaborate with each other to ensure Responsible Tourism. The need for more and better infrastructure in the region to encourage tourism was also established as was the importance of Public Private Partnerships in taking the cause of ecotourism forward. ESOI also recognized the need for more workshops in the region and Mr. Mandip Singh Soin, ESOI Honorary President, pledged that the society would conduct similar workshops in the other North Eastern states in the near future.
The workshop concluded with the valedictory address of Mr. Anurag Singh, MD of Assam Tourism Development Corporation, who thanked ESOI for educating and sensitizing all those present to the importance of Responsible Tourism practices. He aptly closed the workshop by quoting the Assam Tourism Minister, Mr. Chandan Brahma: “this is not the end; it is the starting of a process.”