Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai has urged for promoting community-based tourist activities in northeastern region. Speaking at a book release function in New Delhi, he said due to the fragility of the habitat and the society in the region, community-based tourism would be more successful and sustainable instead of mass or five-star tourism. It will also prevent damage to the ecosystem and people living there, he added.

Sahai said in most of the countries, there had been increasing demand for a broader perspective on the facts of tourism that go beyond any physical impact on natural environment. This also includes consideration of how poorer sections of the community can benefit from tourism activities. He said this had been matched by a growing awareness among tourists that a non inclusive attitude towards local people is no longer sustainable.

Emphasising the rich diversity of the northeast, Sahai said the region was almost another world and a place of magical beauty and bewildering diversity.

Two books, titled ‘Sustainable Tourism Development of Nagaland’ and ‘Tourism Potential of North-East’ written by DK Bhalla, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs, were released by Sahai.