Tourism is defined as the travel for pleasure or business; it is also defined as the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism is defined as a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. As per the UNWTO definition, these people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which involve tourism expenditure. In a more common parlance, tourism may be defined as the commercial organization and operation of holidays and visits to places of interest. It is the practice of traveling somewhere for leisure. Tourism, for example, is when someone goes on vacation or visits a place for leisure or business. The businesses that cater to the visitors are also an example of tourism.
The main purpose of promoting tourism is because it boosts the revenue of the economy, creates jobs, develops the infrastructures, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between visitors and natives. There are many types of tourism, like cultural tourism, adventure tourism, ecotourism, wildlife tourism, medical tourism, religious tourism, sports tourism, rural tourism, agritourism and so on. There are also umbrella terms like mass tourism, niche tourism, alternative tourism, sustainable tourism, etc. to define the various types of tourism. As with any other industry, there are pros and cons to tourism. There are broadly two basic forms or categories of tourism – domestic tourism and international tourism. In Nagaland’s context, a third form or category may be added – local tourism.
The government of Nagaland has been exerting a lot of effort to develop tourism industry in the state, the latest development being the effort to promote and sell Nagaland as the off-road tourism capital of India. Yet, when it comes to results, the numbers just don’t add up. Tourism is indeed one industry that has the potential to earn revenue for Nagaland and at the same time open up livelihood generation avenues for the locals. However, all’s not right with Nagaland tourism. There seems to be no institutional framework to manage or develop tourism in Nagaland. If there is any, it is at the state level but there just isn’t any framework that percolates down to the district and the village levels. In other words, Nagaland tourism is not rooted to where it ought to be – the grassroots. As cited in this column before, there are no tourism department representatives or officers in Mokokchung district. The same is the case with other districts as well. Almost everything about Nagaland tourism is centralized and concentrated in Kohima. Thus, there is no medium to implement the government’s tourism policy, if there is any, in the districts and grassroots.
No wonder, the India Tourism Statistics 2022 report released on Tuesday evening by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India revealed a grim reality of the tourism sector in Nagaland. If the numbers don’t lie, Nagaland tourism is a big flop show. If the numbers are lying, then what was the Nagaland Tourism Department doing? Either way, it just shows not all is well with Nagaland tourism. Tourism is one industry that has the potential to improve the economic situation of the state and positively impact the lives of many. Does the tourism department have the drive to harness this potential?