Ecotourism in Northeast India: An Approach for Sustainable Development

Ecotourism has become a buzzword nowadays not only in India but also in Northeast
India. Ecotourism in simple words means management of tourism and conservation of
nature in such a way so as to maintain a fine balance between the requirement of tourism and
ecology on one hand and the need of the local communities for jobs, income generating
employment and a better status for the women on the other. Northeast has enough potential
for the growth ecotourism and has been expanding fast in recent years due to the heroic
effort of various state government of this region. The northeast India is a unique destination
for eco-tourism as the region represents the Indian ethos of ‘unity in diversity’ and ‘diversity
in unity.’ The region is a mixed package of linguistic, racial, and religious streams. The region
is not only well endowed with natural resources of diverse range of mountains ecosystems
rich in pristine natural forests occupied by varieties of flora and fauna but also an abode of
a variety of ethnic groups popularly known as ecosystem people who largely depend on
their surrounding environment for sustenance of livelihood particularly in hill areas. All
these factors provide the foundation for a potentiality robust ecotourism industry in the
region. Though various adventure and nature tours had been in practice in northeast India
for a long time, the concept of ecotourism is relatively very recent development. Various
Non-Governmental Organizations have been acting positively to involve the local people
to facilitate forest developments and improve eco-tourism. At this juncture, it is very
crucial to discuss the status of ecotourism in northeast India. In this paper an attempt has
been made to highlight on various ecotourism resources, prospects of eco-tourism, problems,
and suggestion to develop ecotourism in northeast India. All the information has been
gathered through various sources, personal communication, and literature survey.