What would it take for Mizoram to be a top tourist destination? A lot 

Across Northeast India, tourism is often promoted as one industry that, if harnessed correctly, can propel the region to the top of the world’s favourite tourist destinations. And for good reason. From the lush plains of Kaziranga to the majestic-yet-unknown beauty of Arunachal Pradesh, from Scotland of the East-Meghalaya to one of mother nature’s most beautiful treasures of Loktak Lake in Manipur and the stunning sceneries of Dzukou Valley, we are spoilt for choice. Right?

Yes. But Mizoram is missing from that list. And a recently-concluded International Tourism Mart, held between November 16 and 19, attempts to correct that. 

Last year, tourism in Mizoram hit the headlines but not for a good reason. A tourist complained about poor facilities at a lodge in Tamdil (a reservoir lake about 64 km from Aizawl), for which a staff member at the lodge was sacked. 

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Despite its lush greenery and scenic mountains, there has been little mention of tourism as a factor in economic growth of Mizoram. But residents now hope that the first International Tourism Mart will boost the tourism sector.

Sports Minister Robert Romawia Royte told EastMojo, “The International Tourism mart being hosted now is the first-of-its-kind for Mizoram and we have very high hopes that this festival will hugely impact the progress and growth of tourism in Mizoram. We have learned a lot from this tourism mart and participation and enthusiasm from various stakeholders and even the department at large has been very encouraging.”

Royte added that the Mizoram government was mulling over a similar annual festival with a longer duration and also considering the idea as the beginning of formal steps towards boosting tourism in the state.

The International Tourism Mart at AR Lammual ground saw thousands of visitors, with every citizen, young and old from the capital city joining in the festive merriment of live music and hot delicacies. As the people of Mizoram had never experienced a program of this scale, there was enthusiasm in the air, with the youth even calling it the ‘Aizawl Coachella.’

Photographer RK Dinpuia, who attended two of the three days of the mart, said, “Just that we can host an international mart is a sign of progress in itself. There has been some degree of development in the tourism sector recently. But we have to start giving priority to sustainable tourism, what we lack is ecotourism.”

Dinpuia feels the government should prioritise factors that can attract the youth. “Everything was well planned out. I was happy to see affordable eateries, and a variety of cuisines, including Khasi thali, Tibetan momo and other state foods.” 

Michael Zosangliana, a resident of Aizawl city, had a different opinion. “The quality of the food was poor, and you need alcohol to promote tourism. Even the World Cup is being condemned due to the alcohol ban,” he said. 

He also asked a rather pertinent question: “Where were the tourists?”

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Though the International Tourism Mart saw a lot of visitors, there were few non-local faces to be seen. Stall owners EastMojo spoke to said the only customers they had were locals. 

While Meghalaya has become a tourism hotspot in India, its sister states are struggling to catch up. According to the Ministry of Tourism’s India Tourism Statistics 2022 data, Mizoram had a growth rate of 182.40% domestic tourists in 2021 as compared to the previous year, whereas Meghalaya saw a growth rate of 524.28% domestic tourists in the same period. Also, in 2021, the percentage share of Mizoram for domestic tourists was 0.01% and 0.02% for foreign tourists. The state ranked 34 out of the total 37 states and union territories in terms of domestic tourist visits and 31 in terms of foreign tourist visits.

According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Mizoram had 9,17,352 tourists from 2009 to 2022. Of these, 98% (9,05,866) were domestic tourists, while around 2% (11,486) were foreign tourists. The highest number of tourists the state has seen in a financial year was in 2019-2020 when there were 1,61,677 tourists. In 2019-2021, the number dipped to 20,564 in the wake of Covid-19, while in 2021-2022, the number of tourists was 59,828. The central ministry’s statistics show Mizoram has only two hotels with just 66 rooms, while the Tourism Department’s website lists 72 hotels across 11 districts. When Tourism Minister Robert Romawia Royte interacted with the press before the International Tourism Mart, he mentioned that the advance party that came to assess the hotel and lodging conditions in Aizawl were surprised to see better conditions and amenities than they perceived. 

K Zothanpara, a senior journalist from Mizoram who works with the state’s largest daily paper, believes the state lacks publicity. “We can say the government gives importance to the tourism sector, but more important is to note if they are taking the right initiatives. There can be situations where initiatives are taken without much progress. For example, they are trying to develop a certain place, and they build unnecessary infrastructure. It is most important to have a good lodge. It is not about decorating the site, more about providing a good place for resting and lodging, whether a heritage site or a lake. Our weak points are publicity and lodging. We have good lodging in Aizawl, but tourists do not stop at Aizawl. Another area where the government can work is publicity. For example, when we are going to have a festival, we should use national media. There might be a necessity to invest a high amount of money, in this regard, there should be a large-scale project for the advertisement. For example, displaying in wide-reaching channels with high viewership would have an impact. Hoardings can be put up in cities like Kolkata, Delhi, and Guwahati. This will help popularise state tourism, if people don’t know what Mizoram can offer, why would they feel the need to visit the state?” 

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Zothanpara believes the International Mart could help the tourism sector. “I think this international mart will have a good impact because if the state puts up a good performance and has a positive view, it will bring many more people here,” he added. 

Mizoram does not have a theme park or adventure park and has few festivals which go beyond a one-day celebration. Its waterfalls and hills are its pride, however, these places are often the victims of the city’s waste and have few amenities for sitting and enjoying leisure time.

Mala Bawitlung, an adventure enthusiast from Aizawl who likes to venture out and spend their time hiking and camping, are most eager for progress. “While the government takes some form of initiative, one might wonder if it is being done for the sake of namesake projects. I think we have valuable heritage sites, however, they remain neglected. We need to work on protection and preservation. There should be awareness measures among locals on the importance of these. The natural form of our heritage sites is rapidly changing because we have not preserved them well. We are weak in maintenance. Many of these sites were decorated a long time ago. The places displayed by the tourism department are not worth visiting. Instead of adding more names to the list, the government can upgrade the existing sites in the list. The government does not seem to take new initiatives in developing or protecting many of these sites, is it because there are no funds or because of corruption?” he questioned. 

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When asked about the lack of amenities and the pollution in the state’s heritage sites, Manisha Saxena, Principal Secretary of the Tourism Department commented, saying the situation will get better once there are more tourists. “When more people come, there will be more opportunities for development and expansion.”

A study published by R Lalrinchhani on the Role of Tourism in the Socio-Economic Development of Mizoram in 2020 found that while Mizoram is endowed with rich resources, the tourism industry is still in a young stage, with the potential unexploited. The state tourism department is dependent on central financial assistance for tourism promotion, the study added. “Tourism development in the state is carried out based on the Central Government’s schemes and guidelines. The state has huge potential in eco-tourism, adventure tourism, and community and nature-based tourism. Proper and integrated planning to develop these sectors of tourism is much needed so that tourism may become an engine of socio-economic development and growth in the state,” it said. 

Young entrepreneurs such as Zothana Hauhnar are hopeful that the economy will be boosted by the growth of the tourism industry. An owner of a dragon fruit farm, he had set up a stall in the mart at Lammual AR Ground, “My family started the dragon fruit plantation in 2018. It is growing fast and by 2022 we produced around 50 quintals of dragon fruit. These kinds of platforms are important for entrepreneurs to introduce our products. There is no other chance for us to showcase our products. It gives us hope.” 

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