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Neiphiu Rio with representatives of Nagaland government and Airbnb India in Kohima on October 22.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 23 (EMN): The government of Nagaland is envisioning to take tourism and Naga culture to the next level and has recently initiated collaborative programmes with various agencies across the country.
The state government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbnb India, an online marketplace offering homestays to tourists on October 22 in New Delhi.
On signing the MoU, chief minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio stated: “Through the partnership, the government aims to create an inclusive tourism sector that empowers local community by creating skilled micro-entrepreneurs and build a sustainable homestay ecosystem. Grateful to Airbnb for the collaboration.”
Airbnb India in its official Twitter account wrote: “We are proud to have signed an MoU with the department of Tourism, government of Nagaland to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the state. This furthers Airbnb’s commitment to harness the potential of the tourism sector in India’s Northeastern region.”
Earlier this year, Rio, in his budget speech, said: “We (PDA government) are working out a comprehensive tourism plan using information technology to further promote tourism by taking along all the stakeholders in a collective and inclusive manner.”
On October 21, the state government collaborated with Hanifl Centre to conduct a 16-day trek leader course from October 26 to November 10. Twelve trekkers from state have been selected to undergo the training at the centre located in Uttarakhand.
The course is said to be designed to prepare trainees to have an active outdoor lifestyle, emphasis on learning outdoor living skills, and create job opportunities.
“Nagaland has tremendous potential to become a destination for adventure sports like cycling and trekking, and we are tying up with the Hanifel Centre located in the Himalayas, the sub-continent’s only international certification institution for trekking, for capacity building of our guides,” Rio stated in his budget speech.
Commenting on the new collaboration, Rio tweeted: “I’m hopeful that our collaboration with the Hanifl Centre in Uttarakhand will create opportunities for our youth.”
During the yearly budget session, the department of Tourism was allocated with INR 7.50 crore for conducting Hornbill and mini-Hornbill festivals, to be held in every district of the state.
An independent study conducted to assess the impact of the 10-day Hornbill Festival 2018 indicated that it had generated a revenue of about INR 62.88 crore and created 8,715 jobs; with 2,51,701 visitors and international tourists from over 30 countries, according to the budget presentation.
