A word of caution
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 04 2011 -

Manipur with its undulating landscape of hills and valleys, of streams and rivulets crisscrossing its length and breath, home to rich varieties of flora and fauna has always had the potential to attract visitors who would crave to experience something new.

People all over the world would definitely be interested to see the Sangai or the Brow Antlered Deer in its natural habitat, the Kaibul Lamjao, regarded as the largest floating sanctuary in the world right in the middle of the pristine Loktak Lake, the largest fresh water lake in eastern India.

Many would be interested to get a feel of the environ where the Siroi Lily blooms or that of many rare varieties of orchids. The pleasantly moderate climate adds to the charm of all these.

Then there are the people who inhabit the place – the Meiteis, Meitei Pangals, the Nagas and Chin Kuki Tribes–each with their distinct and rich traditions and culture.

The Manipuri dance, one of the classical dances of India, has been a veritable showpiece of the cultural richness of the country and has been, the in many cases, the first introduction of this land of ours for many.

It is also accepted as the birth place of the game of Polo, the land of Manipuri Pony riding on which this game which requires exceptional skill of horsemanship is played.

Reason enough of many a person from across the globe to pay a visit to Manipur. But the potential, as of now is yet to be actualized in any measure worth mentioning.

There are many factors responsible for this. Chief among those is the lack of infrastructural development in terms of roads, air and rail links, hotels, restaurants etc, almost total absence of the hospitality industry, good communication network, transportation system etc.

The Foreigner (Protected Area) which requires every foreigner, who is desirous of visiting Manipur, of obtaining a Protected Area Permit (PAP) as also the prevailing law and order situation for the past three decades or so has also inhibited many from visiting this place.

With the lifting of the PAP, one of the many disincentives has been removed, the law and order too is not so prohibitive. All these are positive development towards developing the tourism sector in Manipur.

Tourism has the potential to bring in much needed revenue to Manipur, a state which hardly has any revenue collection of its own and has to depend almost entirely on the largesse of the Central government.

A booming tourism industry would mean creation of a number of jobs in hospitality industry and in related areas like taxi services and other means of transportations, as guides, interpreters. It will also drive the demand for our artists and artisans and local products.

But at the same time, we need to be wary of the many ill effects of tourism. Places like Brazil, Thailand, Phillipines, Costa RicaCuba, the Dominican Republic, Kenya, the Netherlands etc have become notorious for sex tourism.

India too is not exempt from this virus, in fact it is considered a favoured destination of pedophiles.

Women and children from the vulnerable section of our society would prove no less vulnerable to sexual exploitation by criminal elements. This has been amply proved by a slew of incidents of human trafficking cases involving women and children from the interior areas of the state.

It is extremely important to encourage only certain kind of tourism, which will not degrade the environment, scar the social fabric and demean the dignity of the individuals of this land of ours.

There has been lot of talks, a lot of campaigns about developing the tourism sector in recent times in Manipur, including, the official Sangai Tourism Festival, which is a welcome development.

Manipur's potential as a tourism destination should be actualized for the maximum benefit of the people of the state.

But Manipur should avoid the pitfalls of a booming tourism industry and care should be taken to see to it that the nascent tourism industry does not become exploitative in any manner.