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2009/2008/2007/2006/2005/2004/2003 News..

• Rs. 318 crores JICA push for Sikkim Forestry.............

• Christmas-New Year period a bonanza for tourism sector...........

• Pink City fast catching up with 'pink tourism'.............

• Colourful start to tourism & food fest............

• Representatives from three constituencies meet ministers, secretaries........

• A boost for Khajuraho..........

• Maghe Mela and what it means to Sikkim.................

• Tourism industry in Kumily hopeful of better days.................

• Credit growth in Sikkim is essentially boosted by tourism-NABARD.................

• A change in marketing strategy needed.................

                                        Christmas-New Year period a bonanza for tourism sector                                   [top of page]

Puducherry attracted tourists from far and wide this holiday season.
Puducherry: Shubhojit and Shashank from Bangalore have managed a trip to Puducherry after two years of planning. “We wanted to check out the French Quarter and the cuisine, and it’s all quite nice,” they said. Carol Richardson from Australia discovered the seaside town on Lonely Planet, and decided to make a quick getaway from Chennai for a few days.

              Puducherry has created a buzz that attracts tourists from far and wide. The last two weeks have been remarkable for the tourism scene in Puducherry. According to Tourism Department estimates, there has been a footfall of over 50,000 people a day, over the Christmas-New Year period. “Advertising has been quite aggressive. This is perhaps the largest tourist crowd that Puducherry has during Christmas-New Year,” Director of Tourism P. Mathew Samuel said. Chunnambar backwaters generated an all-time revenue high at Rs.1.78 lakh in one day, during the Christmas weekend. Revenue generated by the institutions of the Puducherry Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) stood at about Rs.5 lakh per day in that period. “Domestic tourists have been more visible this time, but even the number of international tourists has gone up. We expect the season to be buoyant until Pongal,” he said.

   All the 171 hotels were mostly full during the period this year. Budget hotels have been doing quite well. According to manager Balasubramaniam of Ginger Hotel, there has been 100 per cent occupancy at the hotel for the last 14 days. Star hotels with smaller markets have also had 100 per cent occupancy over the period, revealed Amitava Roy, general manager of Atithi. But, managers are concurrent on the fact that business has been slow overall this holiday season (October to March) so far. “There is good business over the weekends, but weekdays are a cause for concern. Puducherry as a destination must offer more to the tourist — places to visit and things to do,” Mr. Roy explained.

             But there is enough on the tourists’ itinerary for the next two months, to keep up the momentum. The Tourism Department has held a meeting with hotel associations to discuss advertising, and the possibility of hosting programmes. The International Yoga Festival will start soon, and the Tourism Department expects around 900 delegates for the event. A large participation is also expected at The Street Kolam Festival, which is to be held in the second week of January.

            Dance and music concerts will mark Pongal celebrations in the town, after which Bonjour India kicks off on January 19. Many rock bands are expected to rock the town during Puducherry’s own Freedom Jam event at the end of the month. A baking competition, heritage car rally and a music concert have also been scheduled for February.

Source: The Hindu, Dated: 3rd Jan 2010.

                                     Pink City fast catching up with 'pink tourism'                                     [top of page]

Jaipur: While it still may be too early to corroborate, the 'Pink City' is certainly warming up to gay tourism though hoteliers refuse to be vocal about it. And most of the times, they come in groups with women who feel rather safe travelling in their company. So was it with Andrea (name changed) who came for the first time to Jaipur with his partner accompanied by woman friend from United Kingdom.

               While in UK, gay tourism is a 600 million pound industry, in India it is at a very nascent stage. The lesbian-gay community here has been largely keeping a low profile with very few who come out in the open, but it's gay men from overseas who are frequenting Jaipur on the Golden Triangle, Pushkar, Jaisalmer and Ranthambore.
               Catering to this new segment, tour operators are now adding custom-designed packages to their tour itineraries to avoid harassment and embarrassment, with customised trips involving gay-friendly chauffeurs and operators, private vehicles, a personal host, private specialised guides et al.
               Sources in the industry confirm that the sector has immense economic potential with double income, no kids (DINK) couples with high spending capacity. "Everyday, we have a couple or more either gay or lesbian partners over dinner. But they don't behave any different than normal people. In fact, they are far more empathetic," said an hotelier.
              According to experts, this is a market that's just waiting to be exploited in India. The section of the tourism industry that hopes to benefit from visits by homosexual tourists may well bring a turnover estimated at $2 trillion by 2012.
"We should look at this high spending, eager to travel target market to promote India as a tourist destination. Those of us who travel to ITB and WTM (International Travel fairs) will know of the large size and high quality of the Gay & Lesbian Travel booth. A quarter of the visitors at these fairs can be seeing carrying the trade mark pink bag," said Himmat Anand, co-chairperson, FICCI tourism committee who strongly advocates promoting this segment.
             And practically it is really no different than targeting wildlife enthusiasts who want to visit the national parks or those who belong to the adventure segment and are interested in trekking the mountains and raft down our rapids. In reality, G&L (Gay and Lesbian) travel is no different from any other type of specialty travel, emphasises Himmat.
"In the last decade, many countries have realised the potential of this fast-growing segment - the Gay and Lesbian market and have worked towards attracting it. I have spoken about this segment in the past and have advocated, without much success I must admit that India should also target these travellers, who are today growing in number and acceptance," said Himmat.

Source: Times of India, Dated 6th Jan 2010

                                            Colourful start to tourism & food fest                                                           [top of page]

Kolkata: The colourful opening of the West Bengal Tourism and Food Festival on Friday could be a reflection of the state’s positive efforts to boost the tourism sector.

The 7th tourism and food festival was inaugurated amidst colourful cultural performances, fireworks and a lot more at Nalban Ecopark on Friday evening. The five-day festival has been organised in association with The Times of India.
              Apart from setting up stalls to provide tourist information, the participating states have brought with them their local cuisine and cultural shows. Along with 12 Indian states, the Yunnan province of China is also participating in the fair this year. Some of the participating Indian states are Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Meghalaya.
“Our focus for tourism in 2010 is to promote Murshidabad as a tourism destination,” said minister-in-charge of micro and small-scale enterprises, textile and tourism, Manabendra Mukherjee, during the inauguration ceremony.
            The state tourism department has already invested Rs 24 crore to develop infrastructure in and around the historically-important Murshidabad district. Ghats at different places are being developed to facilitate cruises down the Hooghly right upto Murshidabad. At present, there are two cruises operating in this waterway. Other tourism destinations where the tourism department is pumping in money is Sajnekhali in the Sunderbans, and Subhas Sarovar, closer home.
“Work on the Subhash Sarovar project will start from February. This Rs 5-crore project is to promote the place as a lake tourism destination. The annual growth of tourists in the state is about 15%,” said TVN Rao, managing director of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation.
             Friday’s opening ceremony saw a galaxy of film actors and dancers from Kunming enthralling the audience. Their colourful costumes and graceful movements awed the audience. Artistes from Bengal and J&K also presented their cultural programmes. Other dignitaries who graced the occasion included Nawang Rigzin, minister of tourism and culture, J&K government, and representatives from Yunnan province.
“This is the second time we are coming to Kolkata. Our participation in the tourism fair last year resulted in 2,000 tourist visiting Yunnan province. It was not a bad start. So, here we are again,” said Li Jindie of Kunming Municipal Tourism Bureau.
            The fair is open to public from 12 noon to 9 pm till Sunday. There will be cultural programmes every day. Those who will stage shows from Bengal include Mamata Shankar’s dance troupe on Friday and Monali Thakur the day next.

Source: Times of India, Dated 7th Jan 2010

                  A boost for Khajuraho                    [top of page]

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Government has formed the Khajuraho Tourism Development Authority to ensure development of the world heritage site into a tourist spot of international standards.

Khajuraho falls in the grossly under-developed Bundelkhand region of the State.

Source: The Hindu, Dated: 12th Jan 2010

                     Maghe Mela and what it means to Sikkim                      [top of page]

Jorethang, January 12: Come January 14 and it is the time to celebrate one of the most religious and ritualistically followed festival of the Hindu calendar Maghe Sankranti.

               Maghe Sankranti, one of the main festivals celebrated by the Nepali community in Sikkim is among the biggest cultural festivals that attract a major number of people from all communities. The Maghe Mela in Jorethang is undoubtedly the grandest Mela of them all. Over the years this Mela has transformed a lot, from a gambling den into a traditionally packed tourist attraction with its religious root intact which is the main origin of this decade old custom. In the course of transformation this Mela which is only celebrated in Jorethang in such a grand manner saw a sea change; the history behind Maghe Mela is very elaborate despite the fact that it was started in a very low scale, unlike what it has transformed into today. Looking back to the story of its origination and as informed by one of the volunteers who supported this Mela when it was first celebrated; this mela started in 1961 and was organized for the first time when the volunteers went from place to place informing people about it. With a mere amount in their pocket the volunteers cleaned an area so that they could organize some skill games and sports events to mark the celebration.
               During the initial years of the inception of Maghe Mela, people from Siliguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling and all the tea estates used to gather in Jorethang and Rangit puja was performed on the banks of river Rangit. Handmade fabrics and seasonal fruits and vegetables were sold and the Mela thikadar used to collect the revenue and the government had no hand in organizing this Mela. The Mela was completely based on sports and traditional dances like the ‘Dhan Nach’ used to take place. Today, after going through a rollercoaster of changes both good and bad in the past 50 years, the Mela has of recently again gained back its traditional and ethnic value to some extent accompanied with the concept of tourism, wherein the Mela now has developed itself into a tourist attracting event, side by side helping in boosting the tourism sector of Sikkim. The Mela as of now includes more of adventure sports and events keeping in mind the interest of the tourists.
                But the glory of Maghe Mela as a main festival does not end here, the Nepali Hindu community believes it to be the great Makar night (the holy night of Lord Shiva), the event is called Makar Sankranti but the day is called Maghe Sankranti, when the month of Paush (ninth month on the Hindu lunar calendar) ends and that of Magh (tenth month) starts. During Maghe Sankranti, the Makar bath is taken in every household, spring or any other source of water, bathing at the confluences of sacred rivers like Ganga- Yamuna- Saraswati (Sangam at Allahabad) or Teesta- Rangit at Melli bears special significance, and it is due to this belief that people flock to these areas.

                The Makar bath symbolizes the cleaning off of ones sins or diseases, by taking a ritual bath after prayers, it is believed that on the Sankranti eve Makar Devta or Lord Shiva ascends near every stream to bless those who seek his blessings. Just after the sacred dip, the ‘Van Tarul’ tika is smeared on the foreheads and eaten raw as well.
               Astrologically speaking, this day marks sun’s entrance into Makar rashi (Capricorn), with its shift from Dhanu rashi (Sagittarius), the first day of Magh also marks the onset of Vasant (Spring) season. In terms of science, it is from this day that the sun starts its entry into the Northern Hemisphere climbing from the Southern Hemisphere and leaves the tropic of Capricorn to travel towards the tropic of cancer.
                This year Maghe Sankranti mela will be held at Jorethang as usual with same glory and flavour of diverse and colourful events, and to mark this day sports events is already been taking place, the actual Mela will start from January 14.

Source: Sikkim Express, Dated: 13th Jan 2010 

                                          Tourism industry in Kumily hopeful of better days                                          [top of page]

Kattappana: There was a sense of relief and hope in the business circles in Kumily as boating resumed in the Mullaperiyar lake in Thekkady, which was severely hit by the cancellation of the service. Kumily’s economy is hugely dependent on tourism. Since its cancellation, there was an uncertainty as to when the boat services will be resumed. Boating services resumed on Friday.

                K.M. Rajeshkumar, manager of a resort at Kumily, said that it would take a long time to compensate for the loss in the business suffered during the period when the boat services were suspended.

The medium and lower class hotels, most of which had availed of loans to run the business, had considerably reduced their staff strength to tide over the crisis, he said.

                Besides hoteliers, travel agencies, taxis, shops and business organisations also expressed relief and hoped that the tourist town would soon be back to business. “It was only when the Sabarimala pilgrimage season began that the town became a little bit busy,” said Kumara Swamy, a shop owner.

             Many contract workers engaged by the business groups on the Kumily-Thekkady road and in the tourist service activities of the Forest Department had also been severely hit by the crisis.

Though the exact number of tourists who visited Thekkady could be available only when the season closes, the figures available at the tourist check point show a considerable decline in the arrival of foreign tourists this season.

             Sources said that the global financial slowdown also had an impact in the tourist arrivals and many visiting the district had either opted for destinations or have reduced the number of days spend in Kumily. “It is not only the humans but also a large part of simian population which were living on the food provided by tourists was also affected. No one knows to where the monkeys in Thekkady had disappeared to. But, sure they too will also reappear once the tourism industry thrives again,” said a tourist guide at Thekkady.

Source: The Hindu, Dated: 18th Jan 2010

                                                          Credit growth in Sikkim is essentially boosted by tourism-NABARD                                         [top of page]
State Focus Paper advocates promoting Sikkim as ‘must-see tourist destination’

Gangtok, January 24: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Sikkim regional office has recommended the State government to enhance its infrastructure investments to support capital formation in sectors which support the twin objectives-income generation for the State and employment generation for the people of the State-as the quantum of Ground Level Credit (GLC) has shown an increasing trend.
              The NABARD in its recently released ‘State Focus Paper 2010-11’ stated that the GLC flow has increased from Rs. 12 crores in 1999-2000 to Rs. 137.25 crores during 2008-09. While the quantum of GLC for agriculture and allied activities have increased from Rs. 1.99 crores during 1997-98 to Rs. 15.42 crores during 2008-09, its share in total GLC has declined from 19 percent to 11 percent during the same period.
              Maize, rice, wheat and pulses are the main food crops grown in Sikkim, a State where only around 11 percent of the total geographical area is devoted to agriculture underlining the need to develop livestock as supplementary source of income to the rural people. The area under these crops in 2008-09 was 39200, 13000, 3900 and 5880 hectares respectively, the paper noted.
             The focus paper recorded that during 2008-09, non farm sector accounted for 17.6 percent of the total GLC which was 13.2 percent during 2007-08. Other priority sector, comprising mainly of housing, hotels and small road transport operators had registered growth till 2005-06, has seen a declining trend during 2006-07 and 2007-08 but marked a slight increase during 2008-09.
             “It is also an indicator that credit growth in Sikkim is essentially boosted by tourism. However keeping in view the declining trend in disbursement under housing sector, there is a need to reallocate resources to primary and secondary sectors”, suggested NABARD.
             Advocating enhancement of infrastructural investments for income and employment generation, the focus paper has given great importance to the growing tourism sector of Sikkim for attaining the twin objectives. The paper has pegged annual tourism inflow to around 3.35 lakhs, a figure which should be at the conservative estimate as the State has already touched 5 lakhs tourism footfalls in 2009. The paper has assessed potential for annualized incremental turnover of business (services and business) to Rs. 150 crores of which annual potential annual revenue for the State to Rs. 50 crores and incremental per capita rural per annuam to Rs. 3,968.
             It is possible for the State to invest significantly in infrastructure development involving low cost funds from NABARD under RIDF, the paper suggests. The appeal of Sikkim’s landscape, its religious history and diversity of indigenous cultures make the State an important tourist destination of the country, the paper notes.
Highlighting the vast scope of the State to play an important role in promoting Sikkim Tourism brand, the NABARD focus paper recommended the State to formulate policy that will promote environmentally sustainable tourism. The focus paper has advocated for beefing up the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) to function along the lines of similar organizations in Kerela, Himachal Pradesh and other States. The STDC should develop a strategy to market Sikkim as a ‘must-see tourist destination’ and the first step would be to analyze the different segments and adopt promotion programmes for each segment, it said.
            The paper has also suggested a joint government-private promotion approach through professional advertising agencies and public relations companies to sell Sikkim in the domestic and foreign markets. The other initiative suggested by NABARD focus paper was to develop and promote special interest tourism such as cultural and religious heritage sites which has a special bearing for Buddhist visitors from East Asia, adventure tourism, flora and fauna (a rhododendron trail or valley of butterflies) and business tourism (as a location for conventions and conferences). The STDC could develop special interest tours and organize hotels, transport facilities and other facilities so that they can be sold as a package to tourists, the paper suggested.
             Underling that tourism is the major revenue earning and employment generating sector in the State, the NABARD has further recommended that Sikkim can also consider taking out a leaf out of Kerala Tourism and have a mechanism of Tourism Police exclusively catering to tourists visiting the State. It also noted that tourism as an industry needs certain important linkages to be developed and one of the most important areas being sewerage and waste management. As the number of tourists increase, this could turn out to a major area of concern, it said.
             “Most of the activities in this sector do not presuppose any specific infrastructure. The basic infrastructure like roads, power, water, etc, is required for successful expansion of eco-tourism/village tourism in the State to make the same a pro-poor development”, the paper recorded. The State being prone to landslide, an efficient disaster management mechanism needs to be in place to take care of such problems in the shortest possible time to make the journey to the State more comfortable for the tourists, it said.
              The paper has targeted Rs. 16355.09 lakhs as the ground level credit for the tourism sector for 2009-10. The ground level credit for the year 2008-09 was Rs. 9764.49 lakhs.
              The NABARD recommended that tourism related financing should be encouraged by banks adding that Swarojgar Credit Card facility could be very handy in helping rural tourism to develop.
The NABARD said that the State Focus Paper for the year 2010-11 has been prepared by aggregating the credit projections made for each of the four districts in the State. It is expected that the credit and non-credit inputs essential for development indicated in the State Focus Paper would receive proper and adequate attention at the highest level and appropriate action would be initiated for all round development of the State, the NABARD said.

Source: Sikkim Express, Dated: 25th Jan 2010

                                     A change in marketing strategy needed                                     [top of page]

Last year, the Sikkim Government announced with much pomp that the year 2010 would be celebrated as the Year of Tourism. Thirteen tourism festivals had been proposed from January 2010 to February 2011 with an objective to reinforce the image of Sikkim as a premier tourism destination besides strengthening the village tourism in the State.
                 The Government was also seeking to have a 30 per cent increase in the tourism inflow during the `Year of Tourism 2010' celebrations. The year has begun but there is hardly any activity in the State regarding this important event. We have hardly seen any publicity for the Year of Tourism-within or outside of the State. The draft plan had proposed that the year of tourism will kick-start from March-April with `Sikkim Discover Festival' followed by Rabong Discover tourism festival, Aritar tourism festival and Temi-Tarku Ram Navami festival. With less than two months to go, the buzz is surprisingly missing.
               Festivals and events give greater economic sustainability to the host town/village and raise the profile by developing employment, additional trade and business development. There is also an increase in investments made available for creating local infrastructure which leads to long term promotional benefits. Further to this other tangible benefits are improved tax revenues and increased property prices, with subsequent connections to the community. Significant economic benefits provided by outdoor events to the host town can create the potential of high-status profiles and increased tourism potential and awareness for the future.
              These festivals not only bring economic benefits to the host towns, they also provide the area with opportunities to market themselves nationally and internationally. The festival or event brings people from a wide range of backgrounds to the area for the duration of the event.
              It is pertinent to ask here-has the concept of festivals to promote tourism in the State really worked? Even though there are at least half a dozen festivals held throughout the year in the State, has it really been able to draw in the tourists? Perhaps no. Although the main objective of these “tourist festivals” are organised basically for the visitors, there has been little or no impact, as far as the increase in the tourist footfall is concerned. Our festivals sadly have failed to deliver the goods, primarily because we have not been able to promote these festivals outside of the State.
             The focus has to be on efficient and target-oriented marketing of our tourist destinations and festivals. We have failed to effectively market our festivals, the publicity campaigns sadly staying confined to within the State. These festivals have to become a fixed annual event and the promotion campaigns need to be an all-year activity, rather than just for a week before the start of the event.
             The Internet is a highly efficient, cheap and ecological way for communities to reach and be reached by eco-tourists directly. The challenge lies in bridging the digital divide and providing the training required by communities to master this medium. The experience of ecotourism operations that have successfully promoted their products and services online show that the Internet is a powerful tool for even the smallest operations. Regular access has been shown to help communities communicate and share information. A good marketing plan should include a well-balanced, multi-media approach. Use of the Web should be complemented with traditional marketing.

Source: Sikkim Express, Dated: 27th Jan 2010