Assam Tourism Event - Roadshow cum Interactive Session by Manoj Kumar and Ashutosh Agnihotri

Explore the kaleidoscopic beauty of the serene Brahmaputra, walk in the lush tea estates, wander in the majestic Kaziranga or groove to the beats of Rongali Bihu. Visit Assam—the gateway to the northeastern states—and explore the untapped natural treasures.

Today top officials, Manoj Kumar Deka, ACS, Director of Tourism, Government of Assam and Ashutosh Agnihotri, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Tourism Department, Government of Assam, held interactive sessions to showcase the potential of Assam as an ideal tourist destination. The state’s exotic natural wealth, heritage and culture are being upheld to attract travelers into the state.

Assam, nourished by the Brahmaputra River which is the ‘only male river in the world’, is blessed with a rich wildlife stock and vast stretches of greenery. Close to 40 per cent of Assam has a green cover. It has five national parks, of which, two have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The famed Kaziranga National Park is revered as a biodiversity hub.

River cruises on the Brahmaputra is being promoted for the adventure seeker. Tourists will be taken on a journey to experience the effervescence of Bihu and Sattriya dance forms authentic to Assamese culture. Tracing the heritage of the Kamakhya Temple, a pilgrimage spot atop the Nilachal Hills in west Guwahati, is a must visit for the pious. Assam has the distinction of being a unity cauldron where diverse religions come together and thrive.

“Assamese culture, the state’s wildlife and greenery, traditional handicrafts and silk, all call for exotic tourism opportunities, both for domestic and overseas travelers. We invite one and all to visit Assam. Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Silchar are well endowed and well connected to steer our effort forward,” said Ashutosh Agnihotri, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Tourism Department, Government of Assam. He said, Assam is a twelve month tourist destination, offering varied experiences for tourists during different seasons. We are promoting monsoon season between April and August during which Assam's pristine natural beauty is at its best. The peak tourist season is however during the September and April season, as most tourists want to visit the two biggest attractions in Assam, the Kamkhya temple and Kaziranga National Park, as that's the best time of the year for wild life tourism. Assam, which is today well connected to any part of the country, with excellent road infrastructure and peaceful conditions, is known for Religious, Wild Life, River and Adventure tourism. The state has seen phenomenal increase in the domestic tourist traffic in the last fifteen years from 10 lakh tourists in the year 2001 to 46 lakhs in 2014-15 and the revenue from tourism sector has gone up by five times. We are aggressively promoting Assam Tourism in
India and abroad through road shows, by participating in tourism fairs, by seeking support from professional branding agencies etc., and aim to ramp up the tourist flow to one crore in the next three to four years. We are laying great emphasis on attracting tourists from South East Asian countries because of the cultural affinity Assam has with them and the presence of Buddhist monasteries in the state, which also gives us an opportunity to build a dedicated Buddhist Tourist Circuit for them. Already we have tourists from Myanmar and Thailand trooping in and will be promoting Assam in Singapore shortly.

There are huge investment opportunities for private investors to come forward and build new luxury properties in the state in addition to developing the existing infrastructure. People can collaborate with State government in developing our own properties through PPP model, Ashutosh Agnihotri said. Private players through their investments can play a key role in existing River Tourism by strengthening River Luxury Cruise on River Brahmaputra, there is tremendous tourist potential here. We have Golf Courses surrounded by Tea gardens which makes Assam a great attraction as a sports tourist destination, he said.

To tap niche tourism opportunities, Assam, which accounts for about 60 per cent of the national tea production and 80 per cent of the country’s export, will promote its tea estates making way for travelers to enjoy and experience the craft of tea making. Tourists will get to reside in the quintessential British era bungalows within the estates, enjoy their cuppa and delve into the history behind this industry. There are close to 800 major and 60,000 small tea estates spread across 300,000 hectares in Assam employing 17 per cent of the state’s workforce.

An added attraction will be the “tea-tees” or golf courses in tea estates which are a class of their own. There are approximately 20 such zones in Assam, most with nine holes. As part of legacy of the British planters of yesteryears, besides very classic clubhouses for post-golf sessions, some estates even house airstrips for tourists to arrive and take off in chartered aircrafts.

During 2014-15, Assam’s domestic inbound tourist flows stood at 46 Lakhs, while overseas tourist flows was at 23,000.

If you love pristine nature, wildlife, rich culture and heritage, Assam is the perfect destination for you.