Despite instances of social unrest in Assam's Bodoland, community tourism will open up avenues to make it a top national attraction, an official said Saturday.
"The only threat that comes in the way of developing Bodoland as a top draw for tourists across India is the unrest. Now it has been controlled a lot. Despite any such instances of agitation, we feel community tourism will help establish the region's tourism potential," said Partha Pratim Das, advisor, department of tourism of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).
"Because of such an initiative, poachers have now become protectors. Since they know the forests like the back of their hand, most of them act as expert guides in wildlife parks like the Manas National Park," he said.
Post the BTC accord signed between the Bodo Liberation Tigers, Assam government and the union government in 2003, community tourism led by student activists has been instrumental in making ecotourism a viable option.
According to Das, currently there are 19 NGOs that are offshoots of the community tourism initiative.
"Community tourism started in 2004, with one NGO. Now there are 19. In the last ten years, this aspect has evolved a lot," he said.
Das said the NGOs are led by students who facilitate communication with the council and other members.
With Bodoland receiving 80 percent of tourists from the neighbouring north-east states, not much has been done to peg the region as a national tourism hot-spot.
"We are aware that Bodoland could become a hugely popular destination. For that we are setting up a five-star hotel in Manas that will be built by an Australian company under FDI. Work will start by the year end," said Das.
Manas received 198 foreign tourists while 543 were from India.
Das reckoned once infrastructure was strengthened then promoting the area via internet would also bring in more international tourists.
