The concept of village tourism as advocated by late Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu would be implemented soon to make Arunachal Pradesh a favourite tourist destination of the country, the State Tourism Minister and Dorjee Khandu’s son Mr Pema Khandu said today.
Mr Pema, who was sworn in as a cabinet minister in the Jarbom Gamlin Ministry on May 20 after the April 30 chopper crash in which Dorjee Khandu and four others on board died, said he would work to fulfil the vision and mission of his father to make Arunachal a developed state.
“I am planning to create tourism infrastructure in selected villages in all the 16 districts with major facilities for comfortable stay of tourists”, he said.
“This will not only boost the tourism sector but will provide employment opportunities to local youths”, Mr Pema told PTI.
Many tourists prefer to stay in places far from the din and bustle of crowded area and the concept of village tourism would suitably fulfil their need. The concept, he said, would be based on PPP (public-private-partnership) model.
Stating that the tourism industry cannot thrive without appropriate infrastructure, the Tourism Minister said that he would submit several proposals on adventure tourism, nature tourism and sports tourism to New Delhi for necessary approval and sanctions.
“Arunachal Pradesh with abundant potential offers a vast scope in all forms of tourism and my thrust will be to exploit them all to the fullest”, the Minister said while adding that the state’s future depend on the tourism industry.
Disclosing that his department was contemplating to lease out tourist amenities like tourist lodges and way-side cafeterias to local entrepreneurs on PPP mode depending on the interest of the people, Mr Pema also exhorted the people to help the government to boost the sector.
Mr Pema, who also holds the Water Resources Development portfolio, disclosed that many new projects for the department were in the offing and he would give his best to develop them into a major revenue earning source for the state government.