Bouquet of thrills at Himalayan fest

     from adventure sports and eco-tourism to cultural bonanzas slated for the month-long event. The festival will be celebrated all over north Bengal, Sikkim and parts of the Northeast. Conceived on the lines of the Teesta Tea Tourism Festival (TTTF), that used to be organized jointly by the tourism departments of West Bengal, Sikkim and Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, the East Himalayan Festival is an initiative of local hoteliers and tour operators.

            “Compared to last year, the number of participants has increased significantly.  There were only nine participants last year, this time the number has shot up to 62,” said Raj Basu, the vice-president of the Association for Conservation and Tourism, which is organizing the festival.

            The thrust of the festival will be on promoting tourism in the region.

            “It is a broad-based programme aimed at identifying more tourist destinations in north Bengal and Sikkim.  The festival will seek to promote lesser-known locations which are often overshadowed by the bigger and more popular destinations,” said Basu.

            This year the festival will feature programmes based on nature, adventure and heritage.

            Among the events lined up for the fest are river rafting on the Teesta, cultural extravaganzas like Rhythm of the Jungles featuring stars like  Suchitra Mitra and Anjan Dutta and two heritage train rides.

            Efforts have also been made to include offbeat events in the festivalitinerary.  A Puja Utsav at the 1,300-year-old Jatileshwar Temple in Mainaguri, a woment’s car rally form Siliguri  to Jalpaiguri and dance performances by a Goa-based troupe have been included to add colour to the festival.

            Tourism experts and travel festival from different parts of India, like Goa, Gujarat, Mumbai and also form Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, this is expected to garner publicity for the festival as well as tourist destinations in the region.

            “The festival will help us sell the region.  The exchange of ideas will also help us improve our products and services” said Samrat Sanyal, a local tour operator and member of the organizing committee.

Source: 9 January,2004,The Telegraph

Namchi learns the tourism ropes, forms tourism development society

      along with the State institute of Rural Development, Karfectar, South Sikkim and was attended by the DC South, all district officers, Zilla Adhakshya (S), NGOs, hoteliers, and members from the business community.

The programme, which focused on village Tourism and its management stated with the lighting of the butter lamp by P.Lepcha, Zilla Adhakshya, south, followed by introduction of the participants.

            PD Rai, Chairman, ECOSS, spoke on the tourism development of Gangtok and the present scenario while KN Bhutia, Vice Chairman, ECOSS, focused on tourism products and their development and adverse impacts.  Mr. Bhutia said that Namchi was now gradually acquiring the status of a potential tourism centre.

            The executive director, Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation, PK Dong, in his address said that publicity of any kind is helpful for any destination to find a place on the tourism map and stressed on the need for wide publicity to promote Namchi.

            The workshop also included a question and answer round on suitable tourism.

            The Chief Guest in her address said that a joint effort and community participation was essential to develop tourism in Namchi.  She also expressed her gratitude to ECOSS and SIRD for taking the initiative for the same. She further stated that the follow up meeting in this regard would be held by the 20 January at the same venue.

             The programme concluded with the formation of Namchi Tourism Development Society (NTDS) adhoc committee under the supervision of S Pradhan Joint Director, SIRD.  The executive members are: Chaiman, P. Lepcha, Zilla Adhakshya (S), Vice Chairmen, V. Chuhan, D.C. (S) and B.M.Rai, Upadhakshya (S), General Secretary, Sonam Lepcha, Joint Secretary, K. Thatal and Treasurer, T.Prashad. Eleven other members were also chosen.

Source: 9 January,2004,The Telegraph

Samduptse a hit with tourist even before official inauguration

 Source: 07-13 January,2004,NOW

FICCI MEET TO PUSH SOUTH AS COMPLETE TOURISM DESTINATION

 beach tourism, eco-tourism and health tourism. Another dimension being added is the charm of visiting famous IT hubs such as Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. To give an added thrust to this trend, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organising a three-day international tourism conference and exhibition at Chennai from December 10. Christened as ‘South India – A Global Destination’, the event will focus on “evolving strategies to synergise the competencies of destinations for optimising tourism potential,” the Chamber said. The conference will focus on working out a marketing strategy for the same. “We will promote intra-regional and interregional tourism,” FICCI said. Within the Asean region, the total intra-Asean tourist traffic in 2001 was 18.22 million.

Source: Business Line, New Delhi, January 11, 2004

2004 TO BE INTERNATIONAL TAJ YEAR

and has planned year-long festivities and cultural activities in Agra, in the name of “350 years of Taj Mahal”. This fest shall also be promoted in the “International Tourism Meet” being held in Berlin in March 2004. Uttar Pradesh Minister for Tourism Naresh Agarwal announced on Sunday that the state government has decided to promote Agra as an international tourism destination in 2004. Talking to scribes in Agra circuit house, Mr. Agarwal said that almost all the countries are encashing international tourism, but India lags behind due to lack of infrastructural facilities required for the development of tourism. Ill-treatment of tourists in Uttar Pradesh has become known in the world and has become an issue of negative publicity. To counter this and generate a positive response from foreign tourists, the state government will launch a massive campaign in 2004, which shall be inaugurated by the UP Chief Minister.

Source: The Pioneer, Agra, January 1, 2004

TASKFORCE SET UP TO BOOST TOURISM IN BENGAL, NORTH-EAST

TOURISM CONCLAVE PROPOSES OPEN SKIES BEYOND ASEAN

Italy, New Zealand and Australia as the other favourite travel destinations. “Despite SARS and the ongoing threat of terrorism, a third of all respondents named Asia as their favourite region, but Europe followed a close second with 30 per cent.” Says a spokesperson for Lonely Planet. When the guides were first launched 30 years ago, the average independent traveller was a hippy backpacker searching for an alternative lifestyle. But the Guide says today’s independent traveller is a very different adventure, a professional with a degree or postgraduate qualifications who is aged 25 to 34. According to the survey, people are taking trips of one to three months duration, which combine adventure, activity, relaxation and culture. The backpackers of the 1980s and 90s are still travelling but have refined their travel habits and choose their destinations and travel style carefully. Almost half of all respondents have been to over 16 countries and a third travel as a couple. Travellers were asked to name their dream destination and answers varied widely from Antarctica to South America, from travelling locally to round-the-world trips. The results clearly show how strong the desire is to reach those undiscovered corners of the world and that travel has become a necessary escape from the pressure of modern life. “Remote island getaways hit the spot for most travellers,” the spokesperson added.

Source: Asian Age, New Delhi, January 16, 2004