The Assam tourism department has decided to create a seasonal tourism destination in the middle of the Brahmaputra river in Guwahati.
The department is developing a site on a sandbar attached to the Umananda island in the middle of the Brahmaputra river for about four months — from mid-December to mid-April — for tourists, who can avail ferry services, arranged by the department, from the Fancy Bazar ghats to reach the site, about 8km away.
Preparation is on to launch the new destination from January 1, and it will continue to host tourists till the area “does not go under water”.
Assam tourism minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said the addition to the state’s tourism destinations will not only provide a “memorable experience” to tourists from within and outside the capital city but will also provide employment opportunities to a large number of people.
“The destination will be hosting different adventure sports, traditional sports, food stalls, and art and craft stalls. There will also be provisions for beach volleyball and basketball. We can safely run the tourist spot until the monsoons arrive,” an official said.
The tourism minister held a review meeting at the proposed site on Thursday with officials of different departments over basic arrangements to be made at the venue such as ferry service, security and public toilets.
“This is part of our effort to take the tourism sector to the next level because our government feels the service sector has more growth opportunities in the state,” Baruah said.
Though the Brahmaputra riverfront has been hosting a beach festival and a kite festival for some time now, the department felt the need to host something for a longer duration to attract tourists.
Tourist arrivals in the state have witnessed a rise from 2010 (41,27,447) to a record high in 2018 (60,27,002) before taking a hit due to anti-CAA protests, general elections and Covid in 2019 (51,46,307) and 2020 (13,51,690). It, however, saw an upswing in 2021 (17,01,701), mostly driven by domestic tourists.
“People go to places such as Kaziranga and Manas during the tourist season. We thought why not create something in Guwahati so that tourists coming from outside have another place to visit and have a good time in the middle of the river. In due course we believe it will emerge as a key tourist destination on its own,” a tourism sector consultant said.
Earlier this week, the state cabinet had accorded industry status to the tourism sector, the first to do so in the Northeast and possibly among the few states in the country.
The policy shift helps the tourism sector receive benefits available under the 2019 Assam investment and industrial policy.
Earlier hotels and resorts above the three-star category used to receive benefits under the industrial policy but now incentives/facilities will also be extended to tourism units such as heritage hotels, bungalows, camping sites, restaurants, cafes, eco-lodges, amusement parks, ropeways, museums, tour operators, adventure parks, water sports, health clubs, spas, wellness centres, animal safaris, among others.
