NE gets down to business

The North East Festival 2022 in Guwahati not only highlighted region’s culture, but also managed to put spotlight on its travel trade with a B2B roadshow and panel discussions.

Hazel Jain

The ninth edition of the North East Festival came to a glittering end, igniting the spirits of entrepreneurs and investors from the region. The three-day event, which is traditionally organised in Delhi every year, was eventually held on a small scale in Guwahati from January 7-9, 2022. It was also digitally streamed. Apart from cultural performances like live music, fashion shows and dance performances in the open air, the event also saw serious discussions on business, economic and socio-political issues in the region. The festival is aimed at integrating marketing the entire North East to attract tourists and investments.

The biggest festival in the region, the North East Festival also provides a platform for entrepreneurs and investors to connect. Over the course of three days, the event featured a series of tourism, Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) and river conclaves, along with roundtable discussions, and offered a platform for industry players to share their experiences, all in a bid to showcase North-East India as a viable investment hub.

Creating a climate for investment

It was attended by G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of Tourism, Culture, & DoNER, who chaired the Make-in-North East DoNER Dialogue. It featured investors who talked about their experiences in the region. A B2B session on North East tourism saw discussions on how the region could be portrayed to the world as the ideal destination post-COVID-19. This was moderated by Nirmalya Choudhury, Chairman, IATO North East States Chapter and Executive Director of Jungle Travels (India), and was attended by Rituparna Baruah, Chairman, Assam Tourism Development Council and Arijit Purkayastha, MD, Koyeli Tours & Travels. The Brahmaputra River Conclave that followed was chaired by Sarbananda Sonoal, Minister, Wate ways and Shipping, along with A Selvakumar, Director, Inland Waterways Authority of India, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.