|
Since
it is a seminar I think it is better to make the presentation in
writing for the sake of records though , left to myself , I would
have preferred to speak informally in Bengali, my mother tongue. As
a journalist perhaps I am supposed to be able to deliver lecture on
a subject of which I can not claim to have a sound grasp. The harsh
reality is that no man or woman can speak with equal ease on all
subjects. My problem has been compounded by the allotment of theme :
'The roles of transport organisation, individual, guide and allied
agencies in the field of tourism service sector'. Initially my
seniors in the ICAT department wanted me to speak on the influence
of travelogues or travel writing on tourism, a subject which was to
my liking and even while being informed over phone I thought up the
thrust area of my discourse. But the subject was changed and I , as
a true Indian traditionalist , bowed to the wishes of the seniors.
This is the background of the detailed apologia and I hope I have
not bored the distinguished audience .
Tourism is quite rightly identified as the industry of the new
millennium because it is an income-multiplier and launching pad for
building up new relationships and contacts. The world is now rapidly
emerging as a global village and man is more mobile than ever before
. This scenario is tailor-made for growth and development of
tourism. In fact indigenous people in traditional tourist
destinations like Switzerland in Europe and Mauritus and Maldive in
Asia perceive a threat to their culture and identity because of
overwhelming tourist rush almost all through the year. That however
is a different issue but the fact remains that tourism is an
industrial sector which requires the highest and best possible
co-ordination among different wings of government and services in
the public and private sector .
Turning to today's theme I must say that transport organisations
play a key role in the tourism sector. To illustrate my point I
would say that yesterday I was shocked over a news-item published in
a local newspaper . A local transport organisation had pulled a fast
one on a group of passengers bound for Guwahati at a desolate place
within Meghalaya. One shudders to imagine what might happen , had
there been tourists from outside the region or the country in the
ditched group. I am prepared to take this as an isolated incident
but the fact remains that the state of transport services in
Northeast leaves a lot to be desired . For the rich tourists who can
afford air travel the problem is less acute but intermittent flight
cancellation and failure of some air service agencies to quickly
arrange replacements pose a major challenge to prospect of tourism.
Many of us know what it means to be stranded in an airport for six
to eight hours in the course of air travel or to be condemned to
waiting for hours in a bus on a desolate road in hilly terrain
vulnerable to militant attacks. Needless to say , tourism can never
flourish in situations of transport bottlenecks.
The role of guide and individual in tourism is too important and
obvious to be described in detail. Many of us have travelled quite
extensively all over India but I still recall a guide who had
accompanied a group of tourists including myself from Shillong to
Cherapunjee and back . The young girl who had acted as guide seemed
to be reciting poetry with rhythm and voice modulation while
describing the landscape , important places , milestones and the
undulating hillscape. All along, this beautiful tribal girl was warm
and friendly and quite naturally all the tourists on the bus
appreciated her commentary , personality and overall demeanour. Such
guides make tourism a delightful experience . As for individuals ,
at the end of the day it is individuals or an aggregation of them
who make history . Leaving aside this axiom , individuals can really
make a difference as far as tourism is concerned . Responsible and
well-mannered individuals-be they employees , businessmen or
citizenry-can considerably make up for deficiencies in other sectors
of tourism . The all-important truth however is that success in
tourism requires a culture which make people look upon it as a way
of life . This is quite tangible in traditional tourist destinations
like Simla, Nainital, Mussourie , Wooty , Goa and other places. The
individual and society there are perfectly tuned to needs and
requirements of tourism and tourists because they provide them with
their bread and butter . But tradition can be built up and while
human resource is perhaps the most important part of any venture, we
must remember that success in tourism requires the highest degree of
co-ordination among government services, private agencies , senior
officials , lay employees , common citizenry and even the business
community. All these wings must work like parts in a well-oiled
machine. In the context of Northeast I would like to say that
governments in the region and their tourism departments may examine
the feasibility of regional networking in the sector of tourism so
that the whole region can benefit from it.
I have nothing to add to the theme allotted to me for discussion but
before I take leave I would like to draw the attention of the
tourism department to an issue which is definitely beyond the scope
of my theme but which in my humble opinion is fairly important.
We have a beautiful tourist lodge at Kamalasagar in West Tripura
named Comilla View . The lodge which stands on the edge of the
border and looks over areas under Comilla district of Bangladesh had
been inaugurated in the year 2001 and we , a group of journalists ,
visited the lodge for overnight stay. To our astonishment we came to
know of the name which seemed quite bizarre. Upon discreet inquiries
after return I came to know that the then Commissioner for
Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism (ICAT) department had
insisted on it for some reason and so she named the lodge Comilla
View though there is nothing official about it. Now what I intend to
stress is that Tripura has got a long history , rich tradition and
culture from which we could easily derive or coin a suitable name
for this tourist lodge in stead of naming it after a town in a
sovereign and not always friendly country. I would therefore appeal
to the Tourism department to examine the viability of renaming
Comilla View tourist lodge. Besides, the Sagar Mahal , perhaps the
most popular destination of tourists in West Tripura, is gravely
endangered because of heavy siltation in the Rudra Sagar lake ,
encroachment on land and a brick kiln built close to the lake palace
‘Neer Mahal’. It is high time the government took urgent action to
save the Sagar Mahal and its immediate environs. Before leaving the
dais I would like to convey my sincere thanks and gratitude to the
VVIPS on the dais and the distinguished audience for giving me a
patient hearing for so long. Thank you very much . |
The five day Northeast tourism festival commenced at Rabindra Bhawan
, Agartala on May 4 with the chief minister Mr Manik Sarkar
stressing the need for building up proper infrastructure as a
precondition to a major drive to invite and enthuse tourists from
the mainstream of India and beyond national borders to visit the
region. The other speakers in the inaugural programme however
stressed the need for promoting tourism as an industry of the
future. The information Cultural Affairs and Tourism department
organized a seminar on the role of transport organisation , guide,
individual and allies sectors in tourism. Tripura’s veteran
journalist Sri Sekhar Datta who is also a special correspondent of
The Telegraph delivered a speech in the seminar . We reproduce here
the full text of the speech.