Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday virtually inaugurated the “Tribal Cultural Experience” project in Chumoukedima district of Nagaland.
The project under the Ministry of Tourism aims to promote tribal cultural experiences to visitors at the recreation centre Midway Retreat at Tsiepama village between the state capital Kohima and commercial hub Dimapur.
The virtual programme was attended by commissioner & secretary Tourism I Kitto Zhimomi, Ministry of Tourism director Fakhre Alam and state tourism director Viyelo Doulo. In his brief address on the occasion, Kitto remarked that Nagaland had missed the industrial and green revolutions, but should take advantage now with the Centre’s focus on developing tourism. He revealed projects in six districts of Peren, Kohima, Wokha, Mokokchung, Mon and Tuensang had been completed under Swadesh Darshan 1.0.
Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 projects are being taken up in Niuland and Chümoukedima districts. He hoped that the Ministry of Tourism would grant funds to cover the remaining eight districts of the state under the project.
Meanwhile, stating that the government would soon inaugurate the projects completed under Swadesh Darshan 1.0 in the state, Kitto said that employment avenues would be opened for young students undergoing different courses at the State Institute of Hotel Management (SIHM) in the hospitality sector.
Noting that Nagaland’s GDP was around Rs 37,000 crore in 2023 where the tourism sector’s contribution was 0.1%, he called for enhancing it to at least 5% to boost employment opportunities for the unemployed youth.
Appreciating Tsiepama village for granting land for the project, Kitto requested the village council to extend support to the government and department in future endeavours, reported Nagaland Post.
Speaking on the occasion, Nagaland Tourism Association president Vimeto Vakha said the past development programmes initiated by the Ministry of Tourism had laid a strong foundation for the growth of tourism in the state.
Through investments in infrastructure, promotion of Naga cultural heritage, and capacity building initiatives, he said the state had witnessed a remarkable transformation in the tourism sector. Expressing gratitude for the accomplishments in the past, he said he looked forward to the upcoming development programmes with great expectations.
