Guwahati: Assam’s tourism minister Jayanta Mallabaruah participated in the tourism ministers conference for north-eastern & eastern States/Union territories in Shillong, Meghalaya on 2 September, which was chaired by Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Addressing the conference that focused on strategies to enhance the tourism sector across the region, minister Mallabaruah shared the remarkable growth of Assam’s tourism industry. He noted that foreign tourist arrivals in the State increased from 6,000 to 42,000, while domestic footfall has reached nearly a crore.
Highlighting the need for a comprehensive marketing strategy to unlock the full potential of Assam’s diverse tourist attractions, the minister underscored the importance of promoting Tea tourism, Golf tourism, Wildlife tourism and Religious tourism, which hold great promise for the State’s economic development and livelihood enhancement.
He also addressed various challenges like the need for regularizing air fares to make Assam a more attractive destination for budget tourists. The minister requested the central agencies to develop a search engine that would assist tourists in finding local home stays, minimizing the involvement of multinational companies which will benefit the small players. A presentation on the State tourism sector and various other initiatives taken by the department in recent times was also delivered in the meeting.
