New Delhi: Under the new tourism policy that was unveiled in New Delhi on Monday, the Assam tourism department will facilitate on-the-job training for women employees in hotels and resorts. “These programmes will aim at advancing women for management and leadership positions in their companies and encourage employers to provide childcare support and safe transport for female workers, particularly those working at night. Particular efforts will be made to train women in male-dominated positions such as guides, cooks, waiters, drivers and provide recognition to firms that do encourage women in these positions,” the new tourism policy in possession of ETV Bharat said.
Also read: Assam launches new tourism policy aimed at sustainability and employment
Highlighting the fact that small tourism firms run by women are often undercapitalised and less likely to receive training or public support, the policy underlined that the department of tourism will keep gender-disaggregated data on firm ownership and ensure women-owned firms are informed about public support programmes.
Where a capacity building is provided, care should be taken that there are women trainers. It will also be important to ensure that local communities benefit from the state’s tourism activity while avoiding underage workers. As such, the department will support the development of homestays among Assam’s local communities especially under-represented tribal communities as part of the ‘Amar Alohi’ scheme.
“The department will also encourage the development of immersive community village experiences for tourists near important tourist destinations – these tourist experiences can also be included in the ‘Amar Alohi’ scheme. Additionally, it will be important to ensure that all opportunities for training, employment and access to subsidies and credit are offered irrespective of gender. Finally, noting the vulnerability of tribal communities, training will be provided to avoid negative social impacts related to sex tourism, drugs and other exploitation or unwanted tourism impacts,” the tourism policy said.
The new tourism policy takes special cognisance of the issue of River Dolphins and states the need to aid their protection by complementing efforts by various expert agencies and stakeholders and raising awareness about the River Dolphins in the Brahmaputra River System. “A way to raise awareness among youth would be to incorporate information about the dolphins and their conservation could be incorporated in the school curriculum,” it said. The endangered Gangetic River Dolphin has been declared as Guwahati's "city animal." The River Dolphin is spotted frequently in places like Kulsi, a tributary of the Brahmaputra river.
In recent times, human activities have resulted in a decline in the Dolphin population. The Dolphins mostly inhabit shallow water pools in the Brahmaputra and its tributaries and get easily entangled in fishing nets, crash with boats, and get poisoned in rivers by industrial and agricultural contaminants. The tourism policy also emphasised the importance of communication and infrastructure in promoting tourism in Assam.
Roadways: The Department of Tourism will liaise with PWD(R), NH and NHAI to help improve road connectivity between destinations and to specific attractions. This will improve the state’s tourism competitiveness by improving the overall visitor transport experience, including signages and road-side amenities. Ensuring all tourists’ sites are correctly located on Google's online maps and navigation tools is an important public responsibility. It will also help in the bid to diversify the state’s tourism offerings and spread tourist expenditure more broadly.
Railways: The tourism policy admitted that the introduction of the Vistadome coach in Assam with more to follow will be beneficial for tourism. Additional tourist trains could be introduced to enhance and promote tourism products such as the lush green tea gardens, the scenic beauty of the Borail Range in Dima Hasao, and the exotic locations in Karbi Anglong. The Department of Tourism will study the feasibility of leasing dedicated trains from the Indian Railways under the Bharat Gaurav scheme. The scheme will also be promoted by the Department of Tourism to encourage private investment in new business opportunities in the sector.
Air transport: Air transport is an integral part of the tourism industry. The Department of Tourism through the Ministry of Tourism may collaborate with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to improve air connectivity to and within Assam. This includes opening new international routes and seizing upon the opportunity to connect to fast-growing markets within South and South-east Asia.
In this regard, the Assam Transport Department has already communicated to MoCA suggesting routes such as Guwahati – Bangkok, Guwahati – Dhaka, Guwahati – Kathmandu, and Guwahati – Singapore for consideration. The Department of Tourism will urge the Ministry of Transport to advocate for the opening of these key regional routes.
River transport: The Department of Tourism will also work with the Transport Department and the IWAI to help improve and expand river tourism on the mighty Brahmaputra river. “This will require important infrastructural investments, including the construction of new jetties along the river. Also, periodic dredging will be required to allow passage for larger vessels and to areas beyond Guwahati. A detailed study of jetty and dredging requirements should be undertaken in collaboration with relevant government authorities and private sector operators and in consideration of the protection of the Gangetic River Dolphin,” the tourism policy said.
