Mail News Service
Imphal, Nov 30 : Tourism festival concluded today at Hapta Kangjeibung attended by Governor Gurbachand Jagat, Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh, Parliamentary Secretary Tourism M. Prithiviraj and Ministers .
Governor said ,”. Unfortunately, due to reasons best known to them certain sections refrain from participating besides advocating that others should not participate also. This is not a very happy state of affairs as those who do not participate will be left out and eveiy citizen of Manipur should ensure that this Festival is made a success every year iri the interest of the State and its people.
Manipur no doubt is a beautiful State, with potential to develop it into a tourist destination. There are places like Ukhrul, Tamenglong, etc. which can be developed into beautiful hill stations. I may not be wrong to say that Nature has been bountiful and bestowed on Manipur all its splendour. But unfortunately, the potential is still to be realized. Manipur is known more for its law and order problem rather than its beauty and the tremendous human resources. It is a fact of life that negative reports travels much faster than positive attributes. Due to this tourists generally do not like to take the risk of visiting Manipur. It is for the State Government and the people of Manipur to work towards dispelling this negative aura.
Tourism industry is the fastest growing sector and its economic multiplication factor is the highest. Many countries without much natural resources have harnessed tourism as the main component of their economy with great success. Marketing is the key and I feel that Manipur has faltered in this regard. A greater effort needs to be made to ensure that Manipur is on the tourism map. The issue of accommodation will automatically be addressed if there is a rise in tourists and for this investment will be forthcoming. What a tourist needs is not a five star hotel but a basic clean, hygienic and affordable accommodation. The concerned agencies of the State Government should inspect the hotels and other places of stay regularly to ensure that they are maintained at a minimum standard of hygiene and cleanliness. Paying guest system can also be introducedas Manipur now has many private buildings which easily meet the standard. For this training of the owners of these buildings needs to be carried out and inspection also carried out regularly. Further the civic authorities and the people should make Manipur a much cleaner State, with clean roads, etc.
This year the number of visitors and the sale during the festival is lower as compared to the previous year, This is despite better publicity and creating a more festive mood at the venue. The concerned agencies should look into this and ascertain the reasons and come up with appropriate responses so that next year such issues are redressed. Even the concept may be changed and out of the box solutions considered. This year due to security reasons the parking was slightly away from the main venue and this may be a factor.
The number of stalls have increased but the participation from foreign countries is less. There is a need to draw more participation from other countries. The State Government may consider partnering one of the ASEAN countries every year, bringing in entrepreneurs and cultural teams from the partner country. This will make the festival more attractive and add novelty every year. For this the process must start early, 10-11 month’ahead. Further, the publicity also must be started well ahead in travel magazines, beside the social media, which have now become an important media for communication. I am glad that the Department of Tourism has launched a website for the festival and activities are being web cast. This is a step in the right direction and will definitely help in providing some publicity and information to those who would like to visit Manipur during the Festival.
This Festival is providing a platform for our artistes to show-case their skills. Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh said to make a Manipur as a tourist spot a proposal was submitted to the centre. tination etc. all together nine projects have been submitted to ministry of Tourism.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/invite-more-foreign-tourists-develop-tourist-spots-governor/
