IT seems that Nagaland Government has an unending wish list. After getting Rs. 1053 crore from the Prime Minister, the State Government has now urged the Centre to further relax the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) required by foreign tourists to visit the State for boosting tourism sector. The State Government feels that once it is done, Nagaland will be able to attract visitors from south-East Asian countries due its close proximity and cultural affinity with those countries. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio revealed that inflow of tourists to the State has increased considerably in recent times. According to him this was possible after relaxation of RAP by the Centre and the improvement of law and order situation.

“But RAP needs further relaxation and we are taking up with the Union Government for its further relaxation,” the Chief Minister said after launching of World Tourism Organisation (WTO), United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) project on “sustainable tourism development. Mr. Rio opined that Nagaland has advantages considering the improvement of bilateral relations between India and neighbouring Myanmar. “With improvement of relations with Myanmar, the visa restrictions at least for official visits have been removed. We can expect more relaxation of the travel restriction between the two countries”, Rio pointed out.

Expressing happiness over the Prime Minister’s announcement of extension of East-West corridor highway up to Kohima, the Nagaland Chief Minister said taking into consideration all the new development in the region, the tourism plan and strategy must cater to the requirements of more movement of tourists and visitors from the east by the land route. “In fact, adequate emphasis should be given to promote inflow from east and South-East Asia because our cultural affinities in the matter of food etc would mean that the local environment in its present form”, without much investment will be quite congtenial to the visitors, Rio said. To remove the dilemma that has been faced world over in the tourism sector, the Chief Minister insisted that utmost care must be taken while preparing plan of action to protect fragile eco-system as well as the cultural ethos of the tribal people.

Last year there were 33,000 domestic and 1,300 foreign tourists arrivals in the State as compared to an average 14,000 domestic and less than 200 foreign tourists in the previous year. The two-day workshop, attended by tour operators, government officials, NGOs, chalked out both short-term and long-term sustainable tourism development plan for Nagaland mainly focussing the strength and weeknesses of the State, community participation, development of infrastructure and human resource development in the areas of eco and cultural tourism.

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