SAJTH, January 2012, Vol. 5, No. 1 Ecotourism in Assam: A Promising Opportunity for Development MEENA KUMARI DEVI* *Meena Kumari Devi, Associate Professor, Economics, S.D College, Hajo, Assam. INDIA Introduction Ecotourism is a new form of tourism based on the idea of sustainability. The term “ecotourism” has diverse meanings and scholars are not unanimous on what ecotourism really means. The concept of ecotourism came into prominence in the late 80s as a strategy for reconciling conservation with development in ecologically rich areas. Conservation of natural resources prevents environmental degradation. That is why, this form of tourism has received global importance. It is currently recognized as the fastest growing segment of the tourism market (Yadav 2002). The World Ecotourism Summit, held in Quebee City, Canada, from 19 th to 22 nd May, 2002, declared the year 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism. Such declarations highlight the relevance and recognition of ecotourism, both locally and globally. Presently, ecotourism comprises 15-20% of international tourism. The growth rate of ecotourism and nature based activities is higher than most of the other tourism segments (Kandari and Chandra, 2004). Its market is now growing at an annual rate of 30% (Whelan, 1991). From this, the significance of ecotourism can be very easily evaluated. Definitions of Ecotourism: The concept of ecotourism is relatively new and often confusing. Therefore, a range of definitions of ecotourism has evolved. The term ‘ecotourism’ was coined by Hector Ceballos Lascurian in 1983 to describe nature based travel. Ceballos Lascurisn (1987) defines it as “traveling to relatively undisturbed or un contaminated natural areas with specific © South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage 180 MEENA KUMARI DEVI objectives of studying , admiring, enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas”. This definition was used subsequently by Boo (1990) and Lindberg (1991). In 1992, Elizabeth Boo forwarded her latest definition where she identified sustainable development effort as an important element of ecotourism Another definition by Valentine (1993) that states the characteristics of ecotourism is: “Ecotourism is restricted to that kind of tourism which is • Based on relatively undisturbed natural areas; • Non-damaging, non-degrading, ecologically sustainable; • A direct contributor to the continued protection and management of • The natural areas; and • Subject to an adequate and appropriate management regime.” Importance of Ecotourism Ecotourism confers social, economic and environmental benefits which are the three pillars of sustainable development. The importance of ecotourism has been increasing since the ‘Berlin declaration of Biological Diversity’ in 1997 where certain codes of ethics of ecotourism were developed. Sustainable ecotourism includes these internationally accepted codes of ethics of ecotourism. Ecotourism came into prominence in the world after the declaration of the International Year of ecotourism in the year 2002. Many countries like Kenya, Costa Rica, and South Africa have successfully promoted this sector of tourism. The government of India has also formulated certain policy guidelines for ecotourism known as ‘Policy Guideline 1998’. In our country, Kerela represents a unique picture of ecotourism. Besides, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Sikkim have also attained success to some extent. The government of India has identified six ecotourism circuits in the country and North East is one of them, which includes places like Guwahati, Kaziranga, Majuli, Tezpur, Sibsagar and Bhalukpung etc in Assam, Shillong and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, Kohima in Nagaland and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. The Government of India has rightly recognized that Assam has sufficient potentialities to develop this world famous sub sector of the tourism industry. Against this backdrop, the present paper makes an attempt to highlight ECOTOURISM IN ASSAM 181 the present status of tourism in Assam. It also tries to identify the resource base of Assam to promote ecotourism and emphasizes the constraints relating to the development of ecotourism and finally, suggests some measures for attaining the desired development of ecotourism in the state. Thus the paper consists of three sections. Section I focuses on the present status of tourism in Assam. Section II discusses the potentialities of ecotourism in Assam and Section III shows the problems of tourism as well as ecotourism. SECTION I The Present Status of Tourism in Assam: Assam is the second largest north eastern state of India. It is dominated by rivers like the Brahmaputra and the Barak. A large part of Assam is situated in the narrow valley that these rivers have created over a huge period of time. The alluvial plains of the Assam valley (100km at the widest) enjoy an abundance of natural richness. (Government of India). Assam, also known as the Shangrila in the North-Eastern India, is the gateway to the North-East. Much of the state is devoted to tea plantation; Assam grows 55% of India’s tea and has 1.3 billion tones of proven crude oil. Assam has a rich legacy of culture and civilization. The state is the homeland of different races of men: Austrics, Mongolians, Dravidians and Aryans that came to dwell in her hills and valleys at different times since remote antiquity. Though Assam has been hospitable to visitors from an ancient era, yet tourism started flourishing only after the establishment of the Directorate of Tourism of Assam in 1959. Over the years, since 1959, this department has made considerable progress in this sector. The total number of tourists that Assam has been receiving since 1995 and the revenue generated is shown in Table I. The Table indicates that there is some sort of fluctuation, both in the number of tourists and the revenue collected there from. As can be seen, in 1998-99, there was a decrease in the number of tourists; but there was an increase of 16.03% in the revenue collected. On the other hand, in 2006-07, there was an increase in the number of tourists, but it led to a decrease of 6.67% in the revenue collection. However, since 2007-09, Assam has been witnessing an increase, both in the number of tourists and the revenue collected. Of course, the rise in revenue collection does not have much gradual tendency, yet it can be termed encouraging. 182 MEENA KUMARI DEVI Table I: Tourist Inflow and Revenue Collection from Tourism in Assam Year No. of Tourists Revenue (in Rs) % change in revenue 1 2 3 4 1996-1997 7,43,545 36,87,958.00 1997-1998 8,97,110 34,72,396.00 -5.84 1998-1999 7,75,889 40,56,888.00 +16.03 1999-2000 9,88,329 31,72,666.00 -21.79 2000-2001 9,68,444 35,87,224.00 +13.06 2001-2002 16,95,882 38,88,841.00 +8.40 2002-2003 20,09,483 41,03,051.00 +5.50 2003-2004 20,36,952 60,44,642.00 +47.37 2004-2005 21,95,605 69,02,443.00 +14.19 2005-2006 25,94,737 87,11,185.00 +26.20 2006-2007 34,93,527 81,29,651.00 -6.67 2007-2008 35,03,613 94,99,820.00 +16.85 2008-2009 37,13,239 1,03,91,516.00 +9.38 2009-2010 39,10,224 1,31,63,299.00 +26.67 2010-2011 41,43,080 1,43,60,969.00 +9.09 Source: Directorate of Tourism, Government of Assam (Figures in Column 4 are calculated by the author) Although Assam has been progressing in tourism, yet it was not there in the list of the top ten states of India in respect of domestic as well as foreign tourists in 2010. It was even not having 2.5% share, which was the lowest, enjoyed by Gujarat in respect of domestic tourists and Goa, in respect of foreign tourists. Further, it was known from the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, that Assam had only 0.6% of India’s total domestic tourists and only 0.1% of the foreign tourists in 2009. In the year 2009, Assam stood at the 18 th position among the states of India, in respect of tourist inflow. Again, in a 2011 survey conducted by HVS, a leading consulting organization, Assam ranked 27 among 28 states in the country in the tourism survey based on ECOTOURISM IN ASSAM 183 various parameters. (The Telegraph, Calcutta, 28 September, 2011). It thus, wouldn’t be wrong to state that Assam has not been very successful in the tourism industry. Along with tourism, the ecotourism segment too has not been very successful. As a matter of fact, it is even more unsuccessful than tourism as a whole. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that ecotourism is in a deplorable state in Assam today. Though the state has sufficient resources, only six places are identified as ecotourism destinations. These are the Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Orang National Park, Nameri National Park, Halflong and Majuli. SECTION II Potentialities of ecotourism in Assam: Assam, the most prominent state of North East India is said to be the hotspot for tourists for its natural beauty and favourable climate. This state is surrounded by Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Assam also shares its border with Bhutan and Bangladesh. The state is spread across an area of 78,438 sq km which represents 2.39 % of the Indian landmass. (Economic Survey, Assam, 2010- 11) The whole state is divided into two distinct natural regions, viz, the plain and the hills. The plain region comprises of the Brahmaputra and Barak valley. The hill region consists of two hills namely the Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar hills.