Diplomats discuss tourism potential at roundtable meet

Correspondent Kohima, NOV 29 (NPN) : A roundtable discussion was held for visiting diplomats from Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam on Day-2 of the ongoing International Tourism Mart at Kisama on Sunday afternoon.

Union tourism secretary Arvind Singh, who acted as the moderator of the session, thanked the diplomats for being part of the programme. He urged them to share their suggestions for boosting the tourism sector in the Northeast.

Initiating the discussion, Malaysian high commissioner Hidayat-Bin-Abdul-Hamid remarked that this was his first visit to the region, and that it had turned out to be surprisingly pleasant and an eye opener. He observed that there was a vast potential for growth of tourism industry in the region. He disclosed that although his native country Malaysia, had made headways in some areas, there was still a lot to be done.

Sharing his observations on Nagaland, Hamid said there were a lot of similarities with his country and that the two could cooperate in many areas.

He mentioned that Nagas celebrating Hornbill Festival and use of the bird’s feathers were common with the Malaysians who also had similar practices with the iconic bird. Apart from that, he said there were also similarities in musical instruments, while dances were almost quite identical.

At the prodding of the moderator, adviser to chief minister, Abu Metha, shared the highlights and main attractions of the event to the guests.

Joining the discussion, high commissioner of Brunei Alaihuddin Mohd Taha recalled chief minister Neiphiu Rio’s words saying, tourism was all about learning new cultures.

Taha also spoke on similarities between Brunei and Nagaland. He said his country with a small population of 500,000 people depended solely on tourism for their sustenance.

He disclosed that Brunei preserved 75% of its forest for wildlife tourism. He said although basic amenities for accommodation was required, it was important to preserve forests.

In his speech, ambassador of Myanmar Moe Kyaw Aung remarked that his country shared a long border with India, including some North-eastern States.

He said Nagaland and Myanmar shared a lot of cultural similarities. He mentioned that although Myanmar had a rich cultural heritage and had historically significant sites, the country still required more connectivity.

As Myanmar was the gateway to South East Asia, he said the country was coming up with numerous connectivity projects to would boost the tourism sector.

He opined that more exchange programmes between the two sides would help promote the tourism sector and create more avenues.

On his part, ambassador of Vietnam Pham Sanh Chau observed that the North-eastern States had natural beauty, human resources, culture and hospitality as asserts. He said the region was also very exotic with unspoiled and unexplored destinations.

He called for cooperation and urged each State of the region to highlight a part that was unique and organise a collective campaign to promote tourism.

Chau suggested that adventure tourism could be one of the priorities of Indian tourism because of the diversity in landscape. He said the government could also market and brand diverse food, festivals, UNESCO sites and spiritual tourism. He called for improved flight connectivity and accommodation.

Pointing out that most countries relied mainly on domestic visitors to boost tourism industry, he urged the States to attract international visitors, whose inflow would increase India’s ranking in the global tourism map.

The ambassador acknowledged that the Indian government had strong political will because it gave priority to immediate neighbours. He congratulated the Union Ministry of Tourism for organising the mart to boost tourism , which has been badly impacted by the pandemic

Speaking on the occasion, deputy chief of mission for Thailand Thirapath Mongkolnavin said the Northeast had the potential to be a global tourist destination. He said Thai embassy officials were frequent visitors to the region and claimed they were interested to know more.

Mongkolnavin claimed that Thailand had “Look West Policy”, which matched with India’s “Look East Policy”, adding that the Northeast was the link between the two countries. He said there were many areas for potential cooperation between Thailand and the North-eastern region, adding that there was a highway connecting Thailand to Myanmar and the region.

He also announced the possibility of investment in tourism sector of the region.

Earlier, during the day, presentations were made by governments of the eight North-eastern States, while sessions on rafting, trekking and road expeditions, major hotel chains and alternative accommodation, potential of fairs & festivals and food & wine tourism in boosting tourism were conducted.

A presentation was also given by IRCTC east zone group general manager Debashish Chandra.

Meanwhile, the foreign delegates visited Kisama war museum and morungs, while cultural programmes were organised by the Union culture ministry and the day ended with a live music and fashion show of the region.

Source: http://www.nagalandpost.com/diplomats-discuss-tourism-potential-at-roundtable-meet/245527.html