India taking up the presidency of G20 has brought in good news for Northeast as several meetings are being planned to be held in the region.

Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said today G20 offers the best opportunity for India to showcase its culture, history and tourism potential and to position itself as a major tourist destination in the world.

"India will be soon presiding over G20 from December 2022 to November 2023. We will host over 200 meetings across 55 cities during this period. These meetings are also proposed to be held in several states of north east" Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said this during his address in the inaugural session of 10th International Tourism Mart (ITM) for the North East Region in Aizawl in November 17.

While Guwahati has already been selected as a place for holding G20 meetings, Dibrugarh and Itanagar are being thought but nothing is final as discussions are still going on. International Tourism Mart 2022 was inaugurated today at Aizawl, Mizoram with a lamp lighting ceremony and felicitation event for the delegates at the R. Dengthuama Indoor Stadium, Mualpui. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is organizing the 10th International Tourism Mart (ITM) for the North East Region from November 17- 19 in Aizawl, Mizoram.

The objective of ITM 2022 is to highlight tourism potential of the Northeast region in domestic and international markets. The three-day ITM event will be attended by North-eastern Tourism Ministers, Seniors Officials of North-eastern states, State Governments, and Heads of the Tourism & Hospitality Associations.

The International Tourism Marts are organized in the North-Eastern States on rotation basis. Mizoram is hosting this Mart for the first time. The earlier editions of this mart have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok, Agartala, Imphal and Kohima The minister further added that smong the G20 member countries, China, Mexico, India, South Africa and Indonesia are projected to expand their tourism industry post COVID. With our presidency we definitely can stride ahead of these 4-5 countries to build the rightful place of India's tourism industry in the global arena.

"We must plan to showcase the richness of the Northeast while welcoming the world to our country. This International Tourism Mart 2022 will highlight the diverse tourist attractions and products offered in the 8 states. Reddy further informed that Ministry of Tourism has also formed a committee of active stakeholders in NER.

“Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of DoNER and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is developing 100 view-points in North East region. 22 view-points have been taken up for development at a cost of 49 crores . In Mizoram 9 viewpoints have been taken up for development at the cost of 12.78 crores. In addition to that Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is also in the process of developing viewpoints on their own”, Union Minister added.

Border Roads Organisation has taken the initiative of providing basic amenities to tourists visiting the scenic locations by building Border Roads Organisation cafes. Border Roads Organisation cafes are being built in 75 locations in the first phase. In the NE states, BRO cafes are being built at 25 locations in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland and Assam.

Reddy informed that Rs 58.63 crores have been sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan scheme for development of Thenzawl and South Zone and Development of eco adventure circuit in Mizoram. The Tourism Ministry has approved a project for development of amenities for pilgrims, congregation area, facilitation centre at Aizawl, Hangi Lunlen, Tlang- Prayer mountain, Khuangchera puk, Reiek peak and Khawruhlian. The cost is around Rs. 45 crores.
He also informed that a Task Force for Tourism promotion in the North-East will be established soon.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga said that from evergreen hills, dense bamboo jungles, lush green paddy fields and the Blue mountains Mizoram has unpolluted environment and unpolluted atmosphere, which make the Mizo state one of the most beautiful places to visit in the north eastern region. Mizoram has a great tourism potential , he said.

Secretary to Tourism Arvind Singh said that tourism sector accounts for a higher share of women’s employment and entrepreneurship as compared to the whole economy. “Indian tourism industry contributes to around 4.7 percent of the country's GDP and provides employment to around 31.8 million of inhabitants. If tourism’s contribution is increased to 10 per cent of GDP in India, it can create 26 million new jobs. According to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), an investment of Rs.10 lakh can generate 47.5 jobs as against 12.6 in manufacturing”, he added.

LOW TOURIST ARRIVALS IN NE: Despite all the promotions made by state governments and Centre to promote tourism in Northeast, statistics reveal that tourists visiting the region as compared to other states of the country are still very few.

According to the National Tourism Statistics 2022, the rankings of states of Northeast in domestic tourist visits as compared to other states of the country are almost at the bottom.

While Assam is ranked 23rd, Sikkim 25th, Tripura is ranked 30th, Meghalaya is ranked 31st, Arunachal Pradesh is ranked 33rd, Mizoram 34th, Manipur 35th and Nagaland 36th. The number of domestic tourists visiting Meghalaya in 2021 as compared to 2020 has increased by a whopping 524 percent, Mizoram has recorded increase of 182.40 per cent, Assam has registered increase by 11.23 percent, Arunachal Pradesh by 140.06 per cent, Sikkim by 61.71 per cent, Nagaland by 118.31 percent with Manipur registering a decrease of 0.60 percent.

Tourist e-ILP portal in Arunachal Pradesh: Tourists who would like to vsit Arunachal Pradesh will now find the process much smoother with the launch of Tourist e-ILP Portal Taking forward the Prime Minister's mantra of Maximum Governance, Minimum Government, the Tourist e-ILP Portal for Arunachal Pradesj was launched today by the Chief Minister Pema Khandu at Civil Secretariat, Itanagar.

Arunachal Pradesh comes under the Inner Permit Regime protected under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 for which ILP is required by tourists to visit the state. With the launch of the Tourist e ILP Portal, meant exclusively for tourists wanting to experience the serene beauty of the state, the process of issuing ILP for the tourists will be completely digitized, making issuance of the permit faster and more convenient.

Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Pema Khandu suggested preparation of a roadmap to promote quality and high-end tourism in the State as the tourism sector has huge potential to drive the economy of the state and to provide jobs to the youth, and should be tapped at the earliest. Popularly known as ‘Land of Dawn-lit-Mountains’, Arunachal Pradesh is India’s remotest state and the first Indian soil to greet the rising sun.

Located on the northeastern tip of India with its borders touching China, Bhutan and Burma (Myanmar), this beautiful land is endowed with dazzling array of flora and fauna that is sure to allure any tourist. More than 500 rare species of Orchids are found in the dense jungles of Arunachal. Wangki Lowang, Minister IT & Communication termed the initiative as a major breakthrough in reducing physical intervention for issue of Tourist ILPs.

Nakap Nalo, Minister Tourism & Transport who was also present on the occasion, lauded the IT Department for bringing a long felt digital solution to boost tourism in the state.

He expressed confidence that the Tourist e-ILP solution would ease the application process and facilitate tourism in the state.

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