Converting tourism potential into reality

Oinam Nabakishore Singh *

Dzukou Valley in Senapati district, Manipur in June 2016 :: Pix - Lamdamba Oinam

Everybody talks about great tourism potential of Manipur. But very few pay attention to the actions required to be taken in order to translate potential into reality. Most schemes implemented in Manipur for tourism with financial assistance from Ministry of Tourism, Government of India are for creating tourism infrastructure like guest houses, cafes, renovation of historical and religious places, Loktak Lake, etc.

While there is no denying about need for tourism infrastructure, we have ignored to find the reasons behind poor arrivals of tourists to our state.

Our state has had a long negative image of "unsafe place" to visit by tourists due to publication of incidents of disturbance from time to time in national media informing the readers or viewers of the extreme law and order situation. There is no media coverage of significant improvement in law and order situation in the last 10-15 years. General population in other states, unless informed of the improved situation, continue to perceive Manipur as unsafe place to visit.

Now, since the national media has failed to correct the perception, it is incumbent upon the state government to play a proactive role to inform all prospective tourists of the actual peaceful condition prevailing here.

Just as manufacturers sell their products through a well-established network of distributors and dealers located at different corners of the country, we too have to identify suitable channels for selling Manipur as a tourism product.

At present, one can use both online travel portals like yatra.com, makemytrip, or Cox & King, Thomas Cook, SOTC to include Manipur and its travel packages in their offer to tourists. If required, fees for promotion of tourism based on tourist arrival on the booking made through them may be paid.

We have to pay for the services rendered. People don't go to visit a single place. Rather, they like to see multiple places over a period of time upto about 6-7 nights. A few packages to meet the needs of customer taste have to be put together based on duration or a cluster of places. Visit to Moreh may be promoted by clubbing visit further to Tamu in Myanmar.

By collaborating with Myanmar authorities, visit to monasteries, Thoibi Lake in Tamu and an assortment of Myanmar dances of Burmese and other ethnic communities living in Myanmar can be promoted by using a daylong visit upto 4 PM. Just like visit to Nathula Pass in Sikkim, visit to Moreh and Tamu will attract a huge number of tourists willing to visit a foreign country without passport and visa.

We need to promote Loktak lake as a daylong destination by combining boating, having lunch at the restaurants or boats in the lake, water sports, shopping of handloom and handicrafts, souvenirs, etc. All tourist destinations have restaurants where the tourists would like to eat and drink when tired.

Facilities of relaxation like hammocks, beach chairs, bars, etc. will be required. It is possible to develop artificial beaches along the lakeside by dropping beach sand. We also have a number of other beautiful lakes in the hills-Khoupum and Zeilad lake.

The road to Khoupum from Bishenpur has been developed now. It is possible to develop visit toKhoupum lake along with ethnic dance of Kabuis(Rongmei Naga) community. Exotic food of Kabui Naga can be served there.

Zeilad lake can easily be compared with the most beautiful lake in the world. Surrounded by lush green trees along lakeside, it can easily beat the Westside lake at Hangzou in China.

There are other tour packages for Dzukou valley in Senapati, Siroi Hills in Ukhrul district, Khuga Project in Churachandpur, Khongjom War Memorial in Thoubal district, KeibulLamjao National Park, INA Memorial, Japanese Peace Memorial at MaibamLokpa Ching, Loikoi Pat in Bishenpur district, Tharon cave in Tammenglong, etc. Mapithel dam and water reservoir there can be promoted as tourist destination.

At Moirang and Imphal, we can have mandaps or Laiharaobung to showcase Classical and folk dances of communities living in Manipur as is being done in Thailand under the title, " Rosebud". Manipur was an important battleground between Allied Forces and Japan with INA during the second world war.

Apart from developing World War-II museum, we can enact the scenes of that war. Along with war scenes, it is possible to serve meals to visitors as being done at Gold Coast in Australia. It is possible to use screening of film clips of that war and animation based on narration of eye-witnesses of that war. Possibilities are unlimited.

Only our imagination and enthusiasm can take us to greater heights. All stakeholders including academia, entrepreneurs, tours and travel operators, Central and State Government will have to put their heads together to overcome the hurdles and translate the potentials into reality for economic development of Manipur.

Views expressed are personal