The Hindu Business Line : Sikkim: North-East's tourism hotspot

Has Sikkim finally taken over as the most-favoured tourist destination in eastern India? Move over Darjeeling. If the current excitement within the industry is anything to go by, Sikkim has finally arrived as the tourist destination in the region.

"Sikkim is now very well placed in the tourism map of the country. Although we have had a late start, we have managed to achieve significant gains over the last decade or so," Mr R.B. Subba, Minister for Tourism, says.

BEST PERFORMER AWARD

The focus has been on creating the right infrastructure and adopting an aggressive marketing policy. The strategy seems to have worked for the State.

That the State is making steady progress as far as tourism is concerned is indicated by the fact that it has won the national award for the `Best Performing State in the North East' for four conservative years.

MASTER PLANS

The State has been quick enough to cash in on its rich eco-tourism potential. Now, there is a 15-year tourism master plan in place, a major component of which focuses on eco-tourism development.

Two other significant moves made by the State Government is to prepare the 20- year Sustainable Development Plan and a Master Plan for Trekking.

These three plans spell out the objectives and the target set by the State Government in the tourism sector.

The marketing strategy adopted by the State is needbased. "The whole idea has been not to exceed our carrying capacity and making an effort to equally distribute tourist traffic to the districts in order to lessen the burden on Gangtok, the State Capital", the Tourism Secretary, Mr G.P. Upadhaya, points out. With this end in view, the department has been concentrating on developing adequate tourism infrastructure in the districts in a big way.

RISE IN TOURIST TRAFFIC

In the last couple of years, the State has seen an impressive increase in tourist traffic. The total number of domestic tourists visiting Sikkim in 2005 was 2,51,697 and 3,02,486 the following year. International tourists visiting Sikkim in 2005 was 16,827 and 1,80,26 in 2006.

The first tourist season this year (March-May) saw 59,621 domestic tourists visiting the State followed by 51,231 tourists in April. However, the second season, which is the peak season, generally starts from September and lasts till late November, has been a dampener. According to trade experts, tourist inflow to Sikkim this season has gone down by as much as 75 per cent, the lowest in the past five years.

AIRPORT NEEDED

The landslides on National Highway 31A, the only road link to Sikkim, which disrupted normal traffic for three weeks at a stretch in September, is considered to be the main reason behind the slump. "What we really need is an airport in the State, and, perhaps, an alternative highway. Only then, will the tourist industry be able to sustain itself," Ms Binita Lama, a tour operator, said.

The Tata Consultancy Report Tourism Master Plan for the State has projected a gradual growth of tourism-related activities till 2011. For domestic tourists, inflow has exceeded the projections in the Master Plan, but in the case of international tourists, it is still way below the projected estimates.

The growth in tourism in the State notwithstanding, there is a flipside to it. There is growing concern on the impact of the tourism boom on the State, which is still illequipped to handle the massive inflow. Further, is the State getting the right kinds of visitors? Experts agree that the State is getting mostly low-end budget tourists.