GANGTOK, 15 April [IPR]: A Notification issued by the Home Department [No. 28/Home/2011 dated 29 March 2011] records that the tourism sector has helped tremendously in economic development and employment generation in the state of Sikkim. A number of financial incentives become available under Infrastructure Industry provided Tourism is declared an Infrastructure Industry. “Hence, in order to achieve the above objective, the state government has declared and notified ‘Tourism’ as Infrastructure Industry in the state of Sikkim with immediate effect,” the Notification announces.
I seriously doubt the sincerity of the government and its many notifications especially when they pertain to tourism. Without doubt Sikkim markets itself more aggressively than any of the states in the north-east and so many in Sikkim depend upon tourism as their only source of income. But on one hand we spend so much money in welcoming tourists to our state, on the other hand, after their arrival, we leave them exposed to touts, bad roads and ill-tempered drivers. This is sheer cheating.
ReplyDeleteThe complaints of exorbitant rates charged by drivers and hoteliers to the hapless tourists are met with characteristic nonchalence by the government and its agencies. Similarly the bad roads, especially in north Sikkim, not only make their forays into this beautiful district uncomfortable but also imperil their lives. Accidents due to bad roads are not uncommon in this area, they occur every year but none have impelled the government into action to reprimand the BRO.
If Sikkim is to take itself seriously as a tourist friendly state then there should be in place a proper grievance redressal system for the tourist; a system which promises prompt and just action against any cases of cheating. At this day, complaints received from the tourists are caught up in bureaucratic limbo and by the time any action, if at all taken, is taken the tourists would have already bidden goodbye.
Anyone with a little sense will tell you that in cases involving tourists, the policies of the government cannot only be partial to its own people. There should be parallel policies which favour the tourists as well. To sustain a tourist based industry, the approach of the government cannot be unilateral; the interests of the tourists should also be taken into account.
I understand that our Tourism Dept. likes to boast about the yearly rise tourist footfall in the state, but little do we know if the tourists while leaving the state have the least interest in coming back. So long as they come who cares with what feeling they leave. Wah wah…how wonderful.