Tourism Entrepreneurship in Assam: A Study on the Employment Opportunities in Tourism in Assam

Abstract

Assam is one of the prominent States of the North Eastern Region (NER) of India, has every scope of being the chosen destination of tourists because of its natural beauty, rich tourism products, ethnic diversity, and uncharted mysteries, wildlife sanctuaries, adventure tourism, eco-tourism, hill stations, lakes and places of historical importance. Tourism in Assam is based on wildlife, natural beauty, various flora and fauna, holy shrines, endless green tea gardens, turbulent rivers, and colourful cultural festivals. Tourism is the fastest growing industry among all the industries of the world. Tourism has become an important industry in many countries. In Assam there are five national parks and fifteen wildlife sanctuaries, the great historical monuments of Ahom Kingdom, the largest river IslandMajuli, the smallest river Island Umananda, the Jatinga where the birds commits suicide etc. The famous species of one horned rhino is found only in the national parks of Assam. Eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism segments of Assam. The Assam Tourism Policy, 2008 has added to the enthusiasm amongst the entrepreneurs and by the Policy the state government has given special emphasis to encourage private investment in the tourism sector by providing financial and logistic support.Moreover, to attract the foreign tourists the state government has made all the basic arrangement for construction of a Five Start Hotel in Guwahati in collaboration with Tata Group. Entrepreneurial development in the sector can be a strong antidote for the poor level of tourism performances. The Assam Government has given thrust on self employment generation schemes like the “Assam Bikash Yojana”. Under the scheme the educated unemployed youths are engaged in tourism promotional activities like transport, tourist guide, wayside amenities, food kiosk, restaurants, dhabas etc. The study is an attempt to make a modest and a pioneering analysis based on primary and secondary data on the emergence, and the prospect of job opportunity in the tourism entrepreneurship in Assam, in particular, and the North-East India, in general. The study provides a conceptual model of entrepreneurial growth in tourism entrepreneurship of Assam.