Still 3-4 months for Manipur revival

Expressing concern over communal issues plaguing tourism in Manipur, H Radhakrishna Sharma, State In-Charge, IATO, Manipur, says that

Suhani Sood

Manipur, called ‘Switzerland of the East’ for its serene natural beauty, forested hills, and architectural temples, has tremendous tourism potential. The state, which used to attract flocks of domestic and international tourists, suffered a setback due to the communal conflict in the state and is now limping back to normalcy.

Developments in Manipur

Air connectivity has played a major role in boosting tourism in Manipur. Now, the capital city Imphal can be reached any day from almost any part of India — be it North, East, West or Southern states. Improved connectivity and infrastructure development has made the city more accessible to the tourists. And the increase in tourist footfall has brought opportunities for generating more employment in many tourism related areas, directly or indirectly. If not for the present crisis, Manipur would have been one of the major destinations in the itinerary of all the major tour operators and tourists who planned to visit the Northeast region of India.

Manipur has evolved as a state with infrastructure development, improved connectivity, and immersive experiential destination. However, it has not been able to gain tourists due to the communal problems. “Manipur’s tourism graph was going up, but due to the crisis it has disturbed and frightened a lot of tourists, who have stopped coming. It is very disturbing to know that the situation will stay the same for another 3-4 months,” says H Radhakrishna Sharma, State In-Charge, IATO, Manipur. “I think Manipur also needs promotion like other states. Major tour operators from all over India should come and see by themselves, and know what exactly lies here in term of infrastructure and hotels, and start including the destination in their packages,” he said.