Presentation made at 3rd Northeast Connectivity Summit,2016 on Dialogue on sustainable growth & integration by Ms. Avia Nahreen,Research Associate, IPAG, Dhaka

1. SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Presented by
Avia Nahreen
The Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG)

2. Why Sustainable Tourism?
 Minimizes negative social, economic and
environmental impacts.
 Greater economic benefit for the local people.
 Closer interaction with native service providers.
 Facilitates access of the indigenous community to the
industry.

3. Types of Sustainable Tourism
 Eco-Tourism
 Wildlife Wellness Tourism
 Tea Tourism
 Cultural Tourism
 Geo Tourism

4. Status of Tourism in the NE
 The NE less than 1% of India’s total tourist
arrival. The majority are domestic tourists.
 Less than 1 lakh foreign tourists compared to 26
lakh in Jaipur.
 The primary attractions are nature, wildlife,
culture & religion.
 Vast stretches of untapped & pristine ecological
sites.

5. Why Sustainable Tourism for NE
Activity centric eco & geo tourism; participatory & adventurous
activities rather than simply sightseeing .
 Vast untapped natural resources and ecological sites make NE
suitable for sustainable tourism.
 With 220 ethnic groups, NE can be the hotbed of cultural
tourism in India and internationally.

6. The bottlenecks
 Inadequate marketing
 Poor brand perception & recall
 Cumbersome travel permit procedures
 Lack of connectivity infrastructure
 Lack of destination development
 Inadequate number of hotels and restaurants
 Lack of facilities for recreational tourism

7. The Way Forward…….
 Branding & tourism strategy.
 Circuits around themes of nature
wildlife, adventure, culture and leisure.
 Connectivity & hospitality infrastructure.
 Model ecotourism project in each state.
 Destinations for recreation & adventure.
 Aggressive marketing & promotion.
 Tap into neighboring emerging markets.