A Webinar on ‘Survival to Revival: Localizing Tourism in Mizoram’ was organized by the Research, Innovation and Extension Cell, Government Aizawl College, on the 15th July 2021 through the college official Zoom platform. The programme was hosted by Dr. Lalfakawmi, Co-ordinator, RIEC, with Dr. K.C. Lalmalsawmzauva, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, Mizoram University as the Resource Person. The webinar was attended by students and various teaching faculty within and outside the state.

The Speaker introduced the topic by exploring the various impacts of Covid-19 on global tourism, while also focusing on India and Mizoram. While the pre-covid globalized world permitted free movement and international trade, the global pandemic has disrupted global supply chains and restricted movements, thus increasing the need to create local area support systems. Using data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, he presented the significant contribution of the Tourism Industry in the global pre-Covid scenario in terms of GDP and employment generation etc. In India, the contribution of Travel and Tourism to GDP was 6.9% in 2019, and dropped to 4.7% in 2020. 

His analysis of trends in Tourism in Mizoram shows that the Tourism sector is at an infancy stage in Mizoram where the Sector has not been well-established in relation to other states even prior to Covid-19 pandemic. The presentation offered various suggestions to provide supplementary to existing ones including ‘Know Your Customer’ business approach  and what the Speaker called the ‘Knowledge, Offer and Taste’ (KOT) approach; creation of season-based/calendar-based tour packaging, widening existing tour package by offering Family package, Honeymoon package, Peer Group package, Students package and Religious package for tourist attraction; Integrated convergence of various Departments like Food an Supply, Sericulture, Rural Development, Agriculture, Soil Conservation, Community, Education etc.

The prospect of Domestic or Local Tourism in Mizoram as noted by the Speaker is not ‘as bright’ in comparison with other states due to less population, less travel to rural areas and no leisure time for rural people. However, he argued that tourism can be localized by: shifting the sector from Aizawl to rural areas (Hnahlan, Phura Phai, Darlak, Saiphai); Cluster (Zau), in an organized manner in selected or model areas; co-ordination of village community through preparation, awareness and training on hospitality; organizing Workshops on emerging agriculture/Horticulture topics and conduct research, etc. Mizoram as a land of Horticulture’ with its natural resources and infrastructure can develop and promote Tourism Sector in several ways. He identified and elaborated on the following key areas which offer potential for localization of tourism in Mizoram:

Agro-Tourism

Garden Tourism

Flower Tourism

Fishing Tourism

Picnic Tourism

Parmaculture and Homestay

Bamboo Festival

 

The Session was streamed live and uploaded in the College official youtube channel - Govt.Aizawl College- the Official Channel. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbhpZytVQUQ)