Siliguri,
April 26: The tourism industry is chanting a new mantra. Thanks to
village tourism, home-stay concepts have received a boost keeping
in with the interests of the local people and environment.
Remote and inaccessible Dzongu, a tribal
reserved area of the Lepchas in north Sikkim, is the latest addition
to village tourism. The area has always been a place of interest,
not only for its scenic beauty, but also the unique Lepcha lifestyle
untouched by modern-day sophistication. "Dzongu has been a
restricted area dominated by the Lepcha tribe. Over the years, the
region has seen little development. With a few job opportunities,
there has seen a mass exodus of people from this area. The village-dwellers
approached us to make tourism an alternative source of income. A
committee by the name of Dzongu Eco-tourism Committee has been formed,"
said Renzino Lepcha, executive secretary of Eco-tourism and Conservation
Society of Sikkim (ECOSS).
"The villagers have been trained. They have also been asked
to renovate their houses so that they can provide basic amenities
like clean toilets to tourists who will be staying with them and
eating the food cooked in their kitchen," Lepcha added.
Much on the lines of Ladakh-Himalayan home-stay concept, ECOSS
has introduced village tourism to two other places - Pastanga and
Yoksom.
The concept, started a few years ago, has now become a rage across
north Bengal and Sikkim.
Besides the upcoming Kewzing in Sikkim, some of the well-known tourist
villages are Soreng, Varshay, Lava, Lolegaon, Karmi,
Lataguri, Mangalbari and Rajabhatkhawa in north Bengal. "It
is a participatory mode of developing tourism. It is more focussed
and target oriented. We are against unplanned mass tourism,"
Lepcha said.
The concept, started a few years ago, has now become a rage across
north Bengal and Sikkim.
Besides the upcoming Kewzing in Sikkim, some of the well-known tourist
villages are Soreng, Varshay, Lava, Lolegaon, Karmi,
Lataguri, Mangalbari and Rajabhatkhawa in north Bengal. "It
is a participatory mode of developing tourism. It is more focussed
and target oriented. We are against unplanned mass tourism,"
Lepcha said.
Courtesy
The Telegraph |
Home | About Us | Contact
Us | Site Map | Feedback
