Guwahati: Altogether 35 people have been selected for homestay facilities near the national parks and Majuli under the Aamar Alohi scheme, the chairman of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC), Jayanta Malla Baruah, said on Tuesday.
He was speaking on the concluding day of the four-day training on adventure tourism conducted by the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship here under the Paryatan Parv programme being held all over the country from October 5 to 25.
The beneficiaries of the scheme will be provided 80 per cent subsidy on bank loans to be facilitated by the ATDC. Two models of homestay facilities costing Rs 10 lakh and Rs 8 lakh have been approved.
Baruah said, "Different programmes related to the Paryatan Parv have been held in Guwahati, Dibrugarh and other places of the state to develop tourism. Compared to other states, Assam has tremendous potential in terms of natural beauty besides places of religious and mythological importance. This potential could not be realised because of militancy that plagued the state for a long time. Things have changed now and it is time to move the focus from terrorism to tourism. Tourists will come here if they feel safe. Sectors like tea tourism and golf tourism can be developed to cater to an elite segment of visitors. We can also develop a circuit around Bhismaknagar and Kundilnagar, places which are connected to the legend of Krishna."
"We are developing water sports facilities in Dighalipukhuri and cycling in the Kaziranga National Park and Majuli. We have seen lots of proposals for Aamar Alohi, the homestay facilities being developed with the help of private players in Kaziranga, Manas, Pobitora, Majuli and a few other places Thiry-five applicants have been approved this year and the number is going to rise next year," Baruah said.
The ATDC is launching a tourism-promotion campaign featuring its brand ambassador Priyanka Chopra. The 40 and 60-second visuals will be aired on national TV channels and international ones such as National Geographic and Fox Life from November 1. Longer versions of the advertisements are going to be shown in British theatres.
