Project Description
Home to nearly two million residents, many of whom remain cut off from the rest of the world, the largely inaccessible and often overlooked state of Mizoram is located between the expansive Himalayan foothills and the plateau of Meghalaya in the far north-eastern corner of India. With its fascinating Mizo culture, dramatic landscapes, pleasant climate and rich biodiversity, the development of tourism in this region holds great potential for income generation and job creation for local residents. The goal of this project was to assist the State of Mizoram in India in developing an Inclusive Tourism Development Strategy with a focus on providing economic opportunities for the region and its residents, celebrating local culture, conserving natural and cultural assets, and enhancing the well being of residents. The strategy aimed to expand upon the existing experiential tourism offered in Mizoram, providing vacations and activities that offer immersive experiences connecting visitors to the people, places, and culture of the destination they are visiting. Travelers who feel they are getting authentic and immersive experiences are willing to spend more, stay longer, and visit again.
Major Activities
- Deep Dive Planning: Gained an understanding of the tourism context, the government’s goals, key challenges, priority issues in the region, and the status of existing infrastructure through desk research and by working with a local Indian firm to collect tourism plans and statistical data.
- Destination Assessment and Stakeholder Interviews: Traveled to Mizoram to conduct on-the-ground research, including a series of in-person meetings with public- and private-sector tourism representatives, to gather input on tourism supply and demand, as well as existing plans, policies, and current activities in the region.
- Developed Strategy for Sustainable Tourism Development: Developed a strategy that outlined the vision for the future development of tourism in Mizoram; prioritized action plans with broad-based stakeholder support; prepared detailed implementation timelines, roles and responsibilities, and budgets; and provided recommendations for securing the funding required to implement the strategy.
Results
- Inclusive Tourism Development Strategy
