TSEWANG RIGZIN
LEH: All Ladakh Tour Operators Association (ALTOA) Leh organised a convention on Saturday to celebrate the growing tourism industry in Ladakh and to put forth various feedbacks and suggestions before the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh and authorities of the State as well as Central Government to improve facilities for the visitors.
Member Parliament Lok Sabha (Ladakh) Thupstan Chhewang, Chairman/Chief Executive Councillor LAHDC Dr. Sonam Dawa, Congress Legislative Party leader and MLA Leh Nawang Rigzin Jora and Executive Councillor for Tourism Tsering Sangdup were among the galaxy of dignitaries present on the occasion.
While celebrating the growing tourism industry ALTOA representatives stressed the need to find out ways to stop indirect investments by non-Ladakhi investors through locals into the industry. They also suggested that Ladakh can still be promoted as a destination for adventure tourism, cultural tourism, spiritual tourism and winter tourism. Innovations need to be introduced, they added.
The issue of all means of communications and connectivity including early completion of Nimo-Padum-Darcha Road, widening of Manali Road, introduction of new airlines services to Ladakh, were also discussed at length and bad connectivity of Internet services was termed as one of the biggest obstacles for the tour operators as well as for guests. “We are handicapped without Internet,” ALTOA lamented. Exorbitant airfare by airlines was also considered as one of the big obstacles.
ALTOA told the convention that this year over 2,20,000 tourists have already visited Leh Ladakh and now there is a need to focus on quality tourism than on quantity. ALTOA also felicitated individuals and organisations who strived hard and made a difference in the industry especially when tourism was new to Ladakh in the late 1970s.
Nawang Rigzin Jora said that over the decades tourism has brought a cultural renaissance in Ladakh because before Ladakh was opened for the world to tourism, there was a sense of inferiority among Ladakhis. Advising members of ALTOA to maintain the reputation of the industry to sustain tourism Jora said, “Ladakh has done excellent in tourism.” Regarding exorbitant airfares between Leh and other sectors, Jora suggested that the Civil Aviation should have a regulatory authority for determination of fixing tariff on the pattern of Telecom Authority of India so that airlines do not charge exorbitantly on their own. While endorsing Jora’s suggestions and observations Thupstan Chhewang said that he was already aware of all issues raised by ALTOA members and assured that all issues, especially the ones relating to communications, would be taken up with the Government of India for necessary action. Dr Dawa assured all support from LAHDC to the travel trade industry. It was informed in the convention that there are nearly 400 travel agencies registered in Leh and almost all of them are said to be doing very well.
