SIKKIM REPRESENTS IN WORLD TOURISM MEET

Sikkim represents India in World Ecotourism Conference in Vientiane


Sikkim represents India in World Ecotourism Conference in Vientiane

GANGTOK, July 23: Two Sikkim tourism officials represented India in the World Ecotourism Conference (WEC 2009), which was held at Vientiane, Capital of the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic from July 15 to 17.
Chairman, Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation NK Subba and Chief Executive Officer of Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Sikkim RP Gurung attended the programme on the invitation from H.E. Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Minister Chairman Lao National Tourism Administration.
A press release adds that WEC 2009 hosted by the Lao National Tourism Authority with the support of United Nations World Trade Organisation (UNWTO), regional National Tourism Organisations and key ecotourism players aimed to provide a stage for trade and technical exchanges between the governments, academia, NGOs and tourism trade pertaining to best practices and technologies for advancement of the ecotourism sector through macro and micro management of nature conservation, environment protection, preservation of ethnic communities and sustainable and responsible tourism.
The challenges of the current global economic downturn that had seriously affected the tourism industry and the unavoidable impacts of climate change were defining issues in designing the conference, the release said.
Surprisingly, Sikkim was the only State to represent Sikkim. The Conference also allowed showcasing of Sikkim’s ecotourism products and tourism potential to the participants of the conference. Most delegates evinced keen interest in Sikkim due to its exotic and mysterious appeal and many were eager to visit the place, the release further said.
While stating that most were uninformed or ill informed about the State, the release said much could be done to market Sikkim and North East India to the ASEAN region. “There is great similarity in natural, religious and cultural backgrounds between the two regions. As far as tourism development was concerned, the most noticeable difference in the ASEAN countries and in particular in Laos was the extent of private and foreign participation in ecotourism ventures and activities supported by a very strong Government policy and funding by UN and other international agencies,” the release read.
In the meanwhile, Chairman, STDC NK Subba along with Mr. Gurung called on the Minister of State for Tourism, Sultan Ahmed and apprised him of the tourism and ecotourism development initiatives in Sikkim and the issues and problems being faced. They presented Tourism brochures on Sikkim prepared by the Corporation and the NGO to Mr. Ahmed and also had these distributed through the India stall at the Green Exhibition. The Minister assured all help in processing viable tourism projects submitted to his Ministry from Sikkim.
Earlier, the conference was inaugurated by the Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, who in his opening speech acclaimed his country as the “Jewel of the Mekong River” by offering World Heritage Sites as well as other amazing natural and cultural tourism attractions.
Acting Deputy Secretary -General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Dr. Eugenio Yunis in his keynote address emphasized the growing awareness and importance of ecotourism since the International Year of Ecotourism in 2002 that led to the Ecotourism Summit and the Quebec declaration that year. He highlighted the role of Ecotourism as an effective and sustainable way of tackling poverty and stressed on the need for regulatory mechanisms and co-operation amongst various stakeholders and countries. He also pointed out the symbiotic relationship between ecotourism and biodiversity conservation – especially in the light of 2010 being declared the International Year of Biodiversity. He expressed satisfaction that Ecotourism was no longer a vague concept or a niche tourism sector but an effective means to reconcile nature conservation with tourism and socio-economic development.
However, he cautioned that the challenges ahead were many and included the need to apply ecotourism principles and guidelines to mainstream tourism, to monitor sustainability in all tourism activities and to ensure that ecotourism benefits not only nature conservation but above all the poor people living in areas where ecotourism is practiced.
Professor Dr. Trevor Sofield Foundation Professor and Chair Tourism Programme and Chair University of Tasmania, former Team Leader Mekong Tourism Development Project and a leading international tourism expert, in his keynote address, spoke on “New Paradigms and Resilience for Responsible and Sustainable Tourism in Developing Countries” He presented some very interesting and new thinking on the way tourism needed be viewed in the light of the current global financial calamity, rising food and oil prices, climate shocks, flu pandemic, and others. He said that every place that is affected by these global challenges is likely to be so in quite a different way and in a manner with which existing tourism development models are unable to cope with. This situation called for a rapid re-evaluation of the way in which tourism analysis is conducted and in the way we should all perceive tourism. In building up resilience to these challenges he advocated a systems approach using supply chain and value chain analysis, and the need to understand that the tourism was not just an economic activity but a social-ecological system that is place/site specific. He challenged many of the existing approaches and concepts in tourism assessment and planning, including the present principles on which the UNESCO World Heritage sites are listed – which he felt was biased towards the West.
The conference was also addressed by the Minister of State for Tourism, Government of India, Sultan Ahmed who informed the gathering about the high potential growth for tourism in India in the light of its relatively small share of .58% (2008 tourist arrival figures) in the international tourism market. While efforts were on to showcase India’s products through campaigns like “Incredible India”, the Minister emphasized that growth was being achieved only by adopting sustainable practices and methods with the involvement of local communities. In particular he showcased the Rural Tourism Project of the Government of India and how it would bring benefits to the almost 74% population of the country residing in its 7 million villages. To date 132 rural tourism sites had been developed out of which 12 are solely promoting ecotourism.
The conference held at the Five Star Don Chan Place Hotel Grand Ballroom and Convention Centre was attended to by over 300 delegates, representing many government agencies, national and international organizations, tour companies and the media from all over the world with the majority being from ASEAN countries.
The opening day ceremonies included the inauguration of a Green Tourism exhibition that showcased “Green products” from private and public agencies around the region. The conference was divided into four sessions namely – Sustainable Tourism Roadmaps, Market Development and Resilience, Local Community Challenges and Solutions and Public & Private Sector Partnerships, followed by technical workshops and a special session on Developing and Marketing of the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Leading Tourism officials, academics, NGO and industry representatives participated in the presentations and discussions and provided interesting information, views and case studies on the topics. Although many of the case studies were outright marketing pitches of the different countries, it was interesting to observe how much thinking had gone into capturing the essence of their attractions as in the catchy slogans of “Malaysia Truly Asia” or “Amazing Thailand” or “Laos, Simply Beautiful” and of course “Incredible India”. On the final day, a summary of the proceedings and the key outcomes were presented and consensus obtained for the formulation of a Vientiane Declaration. This declaration will be the newest in a series of global pledges that postulate sustainable tourism development to alleviate poverty and conserve environmental resources. The final day also saw the holding of the inception meeting of the Asia Pacific Ecotourism Society (APES) with an objective to create a collaborative and resilient platform of Asia Pacific industry players in sustainable tourism.
The Sikkimese delegates representing India were included in the list of founding members. In addition to the very technical presentations and panel discussions, the conference partners of DiscoveryMice, Malaysia, and Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) organised for the delegates a complimentary Vientiane City Tour, including a visit to Wat Sisaket, Ho Phra Keo and That Luang. Another option was to join an educational one-day tour to the National Protected Area of Phou Khao Khouay, which is located just over an hour away from Vientiane.