Tourism Development In Sikkim Essay

Tourism stupefyment in Sikkim has passed through many phases.At Government train the development of tourer facilities was taken up in a planned manner.The Government took several significant steps. A State Policy on touristry was announced in 1992. Later in 2000,The Tourism formulated a comprehensive plan for achieving a sustainable growth in tourism. In 2001, The Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS) is a registered NGO and operates out of Gangtok, ECOSS believes in the conservation of biodiversity, local culture, promotion of sustainable livelihoods through community mobilisation and empowerment. It conceptualised and hosted the South Asian Regional Conference on Ecotourism (SARCE 2002) at Gangtok with the International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and the Ministry of Tourism which essentially brought ecotourism into the development profile of the North Eastern States and put Sikkim on the ecotourism map of India. ECOSS has successfully executed the Sikkim Himalaya n Home stay intent funded by UNESCO under their Cultural & Ecotourism in Mountain Regions of Central and South Asia programme from 2004-2007 for promotion of community home stay in Yuksom, Dzongu, Kewzing and Pastanga through force chassising of ecotourism service supportrs.ECOSS has been a pick up player in The Gangtok Water Supply and Sanitation Scheme sound projection funded by the Australian Government International Development Assistance (AUSAID) Programme under their Community Small Grants Scheme. It has been actively involved in the improvement of water supply, sanitization and solid waste commission in Greater Gangtok area covering 55 various schemes and benefiting over 26,000 people.ECOSS has executed the Rural Tourism Cluster Project funded by NABARD for the promotion of community based home stays and ecotourism activities in the villages of Rey Mindu in East Sikkim and Lingee Payong in South Sikkim. ECOSS continues to conduct numerous awareness and mental ability b uilding trainings in the ecotourism sector both within Sikkim and in the North Eastern states.ECOSS has conducted a pilot project for the revival of the ancient weaving habituate of giant nettle fiber cloth amongst the Lepcha community of Dzongu. It has also provided consultancy services on ecotourism for the ADB funded SASEC Tourism Infrastructure Project in Sikkim In 2011 ECOSS has been instrumental in creating the Vision Document for Quality Elementary Education for the Human Resource Development section, GoS.ECOSS is also currently engaged in the JICA funded Sikkim Biodiversity and Forest Management Project covering the North DistrictDefinition think to Sikkim Ecotourism1. Ecotourism A form of tourism that involves travelling to natural areas with the precise objectives of learning, admiring and enjoying nature and its wild plants and animals as wholesome as local peoples heathenish aspects including religious monuments, while conserving the natural and social environment, and improving the welfare of the local people.2. Ecotourism Activities Activities coordinated by a qualified nature and cultural interpreter jut outed to entertain and educate clients. Examples of above mentioned activities are- a. activities in mountains such as trekking, bird and wildlife watching, hiking, photography, mountaineering etc b. activities in rivers and lakes such as angling, rafting, kayaking, photography etc c. participating in cultural and traditional events such as agro-tourism, handicraft making, fairs and festivals and Himalayan folkways.3. Sustainable Ecotourism Development Development of ecotourism in the State of Sikkim, which meets the needs and aspirations of the current generation without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations.4. Ecotourism Assets Natural and cultural features that attract visitors, such as landscapes, autochthonal or rare flora and fauna, local agricultural products, local culture including festivals, local fol ktales, history, historical monuments and heritage sites.5. Ecotourism Products A combination of activities and services which are interchange and managed through qualified ecotour operators including local communities or individuals.6. Ecotourism Services Services including transportation, local cuisine, camping, home stay, guiding and interpretation. These services should cause minimum damage to the natural and cultural environment and promote a better understanding of the natural and cultural aspects of an area .7. Interpretation Communication that helps visitors to understand and appreciate the community resources. Interpretation includes facts, however also reveals the reason of the importance of those facts so that visitors are able to understand why the resources should matter to the individual visitors. Interpreter is a person who provides interpretation in natural and cultural areas, interpretation center, parks and etc.Sikkim ecotourism councilThe Sikkim Ecotourism Counc il will be an autonomous council as outlined in the organizational diagram. The Sikkim Ecotourism Council will have an penalize arm which is the Ecotourism Directorate (ED) working under the Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management discussion section (FEWMD). The Council will have a local village level operational strategy which incorporates various Community-Based Organizations (CBO) working in tandem with panchayet, Non Governmental Organisation, Tourism Development Committee (TDC), Self-help Groups (SHG) and former(a) local peoples representative groups.Members of Sikkim Ecotourism Council are as follows.Chief Patron Chief MinisterTwo Patrons Minister of Forest and Minister of Tourism, Chairman Chief Secretary Member Secretary PCCF-cum-Secretary, Forest Department (FEWMD)Member Chief Wildlife WardenMember Secretary, Tourism DepartmentMember Secretary, Rural Management & Development Department Member Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Livestock, Fisheries and Veterinary S ervices Department Member Secretary, Home DepartmentMember Secretary, Sports & Youth affairsMember Director, Ecotourism DirectorateMember Person of National Ecotourism Expertise Member National take aim NGOMembers Four Local Level NGO and CBOMember Travel Agent Association of Sikkim (TAAS)Role of ecotourism councila. bring all report stakeholders on a common platform of understanding of ecotourism activities .b. coordinate all key stakeholders to work on theecotourism activities carried and reflect their opinion to the activitiesc. fix guidelines for ecotourism, and revise them in citation with the key stakeholders including NGO, CBO, local communities, tour operators, tour agents and relevant disposal authorities from time to time as per the requirements d. ensure that the new guidelines are consistent with the Code of bear on for responsible tourism prepared by the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India and adopted by Dept of Tourism and Civil Aviation (Govt. of Sikkim)e . monitor the activities of ecotourism to ensure minimum negative impacts on the biodiversity and ecosystems of Sikkim. emphasis should be on the carrying capacity of the Protected Areas (PAs) in Sikkim including Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP)f. evaluate the negative impacts brought by ecotourism activities and existing rules and regulations, and review and revise the rules in consultation with the stakeholders which have direct or indirect influence to the ecotourism activities as and when inevitableg. review and finalise a draft ecotourism action plan and a semipermanent development plan which are prepared by EDh. monitor the trainings and capacity building carried out by ED i. monitor and influence the activities of finish entities which violate the main principles of Sikkim Ecotourism, through relevant organizationsj. request tour operators, guides and home stay owners to provide information on Sikkims ecotourism products and ecotourism services, since this information is needed for readiness and monitoring of ecotourism activitiesRole of ecotourism Directorate of SikkimRole of ecotourism council is as follows(A) envisionning and Developmenti. ensure the implementation and execution of the ecotourism guidelines ii. coordinate with the Home Department, and other related key political sympathies organizations in border sensitive ecotourism sites to ensure the smooth operation of ecotourism activities iii. implement the strategies described in Sikkim Ecotourism Policy iv. organize seminars, workshops and international conferences among concerned government officials, NGO, CBO, and other stakeholders, from time to time so as to consider the emerging needs/suggestions etc from all sections of society.(B) Financingi. monitor the revenue generation and allocation of specie for the development of ecotourism ii. develop a plough back mechanism with an autonomous status for funds generated for sustainability of ecotourism related activities.(C) Operatio n and Managementi. work in close collaboration with NGO and state level of CBO to implement the ecotourism activities ii. collaborate with NGO, CBO, TDC, SHG and other local peoples representative groups to implement the ecotourism activities at the village level iii. set standards for the carrying capacity in the Protected Areas and other Reserved Areas to prevent damage to the biodiversity and ecosystems iv. publish newsletters, bulletins, pamphlets, status reports and other information and disseminate important government notifications and rules v. ensure visitors, tour operators, tour agencies and guides to follow the prescribed guidelines.(D) Monitoring, Evaluation and Researchi. monitor the environmental impacts which are caused by tourism activities and plan/take necessary remedial measures to mitigate the same ii. enlist ecotourism operators in the state and monitor their activities iii. facilitate scientific assessment of relatively unexplored ecotourism destinations for th eir potential and promotion iv. develop participatory tourism monitoring plans in collaboration with NGO, CBO, SHG, TDC, Panchayat, EDC, PSS and JFMC v. monitor the training and capacity building programmes that are conducted by various other agencies and provide permit and cooperation Strategies for Sikkim tourism development1 Strategies for planning, zoning and modelling for the Ecotourism sites and other general tourism sites are a. FEWMD and Tourism Department work together to order the tourism regularizes and general tourism zones b. prior to establishment of the tourism zoning, plan consultations with the local NGO, CBO, TDC, SHG and other local peoples representative groups as well as key government organizations such as Rural Management and Development Department on the issue of the ecotourism zoning at each area c. establish zonings for tourism development sites, which will be called tourism zone hereafter,and general tourism development zone, and differentiate the two zones in Sikkimd. select villages from the tourism zone and establish a model from each district and focus on efforts on allocating finance, manpower for capacity building and facilities and equipments, and disseminate the successful cases to the other ecotourism zone e. make some variation of the tourism zone which has specific objectives such as, tourism zones for trekking, tourism zones for bird watching, tourism zones for flower photography f. regulate the design and appearance of new ecotourism infrastructures such as, accommodations, view points, footpaths, and restaurants that blend with the landscape etcStrategies for Training and Capacity BuildingStrategies for training and capacity building area. train and build the capacity of local communities including home stay owners, youth and womens groups who wish to engage on ecotourism activities. The topic of the training and capacity building are specific themes such as, environmental education, home stay management, waste mana gement, computing, finance, ecotour program designing, interpretation, risk management, cooking local cuisine, guides for trekking, bird watching, fauna and flora photography, angling, rafting, religious monuments and languages b. prepare and provide training materials including training manuals, text books and training courses c. provide technical capacity building for tour operators, CBO, NGO, frontline staff of FEWMD as well as various stakeholders including STDC, EDC, JFMC, PSS and Panchayat d. identify village level CBOs engaging on ecotourism activities, and provide necessary capacity building to them e. identify and review the existing regulations and bye-laws and other proud issues related village level ecotourism activities. Support CBO to clarify those issues prior to commence the ecotourism activitiesf. plan certificate courses for nature interpreters and ecotour guides for trekking, bird watching, fauna and flora photography and other activities g. identify low season i ncome generation activities to complement ecotourism such as handicraft souvenirs, food and fruit processing, production, repairing and maintenance of adventure equipments h. provide training and capacity building to FEWMD staff as well as Tourism Department staff within the state to understand the clearmeaning of ecotourism as an handicraft supported and monitored by FEWMD to be driven by CBO. Strategies for Benefiting the Economically Disadvantaged People Strategies for Benefiting the Economically Disadvantaged People are a. facilitate self employment opportunities for the economically disadvantaged people in ecotourism enterprisesb. encourage supply of goods and services to tourism enterprises by the economically disadvantaged people c. facilitate direct gross sales of local goods and services to visitors by the economically disadvantaged people (informal economy) d. encourage establishment and running of tourism enterprises by the economically disadvantaged people e.g. micro , half-size and medium sized enterprises, or community based enterprises (formal economy) e. set up systems of voluntary support by tourism enterprises and tourists to the economically disadvantaged people.Strategies for SafetyStrategies for sentry duty areEnsure to have insurance set by all the tour operators, guides, tour agents whose clients may have accidents and injuries during their trip, and guides to carry first aid equip when they are in the field with their clients proposal training and issuing certificates system for safety including risk management. The training will focus on methods of risk management avoid problems, medication to save clients and quick rescue operation to all the tour operators, guides, tour agents whose clients may have accidents and injuries caused by the engagement of tourism activitiesPlan a system of notifying landslides high risk areas as well as other dangerous places for visitors by ED to the tour operators, tour agents, guides and drivers o f vehicles through the related associations on a regular basisDevelop a series of hazardous maps of ecotourism sites (places, characteristics of hazardous, etc.) in Sikkim in sustainable manner and update it regularlyPlan a quick response team for an event of any kinds of accidents relatedecotourism activitiesPlan a system of emergency call for medical doctors an event of visitors illness or injuries.Strategies for CertificationStrategies for certification arePlan a committee which includes STDC, TAAS, SAATO, TDC, NGO and CBO to work on certification related to the ecotourism activities (e.g. home stay, tour operators, environmental friendly lodges) The certification process has to be transparent based on specific guidelines which are monitored through social auditing ED, STDC, TAAS, SAATO, TDC, NGO and CBO work together to identify necessary certification items related to ecotourism activities such as renewable energy, ecotour guide. They will plan further courses for the identifi ed items.Strategies for FinanceStrategies for finance arePlan a mechanism of financial system through banks at reasonable interest rates targeting the local people who wish to engage in tourism activities avouch the financial system to the people in Sikkim including the local villagers