Satriya dance recital at an Assam Tourism event in Mumbai on March 6, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
: Assam recorded a growth of 763% in foreign tourist inflow and 511% in domestic tourist arrival in 2022 compared to 2021, officials said at an event in Mumbai to promote the State as film tourism-friendly.
An agreement was signed between the Assam Tourism Development Corporation and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation for the cross-promotion of tourism during the event organised on March 6 to showcase Assam as an ideal filming destination apart from leisure, adventure and wildlife.
“Assam’s tourism sector recorded a 511% and a 763% growth in the inflow of domestic and foreign tourists respectively in 2022 compared to 2021, according to January 2023 data,” Assam’s Tourism Secretary, Kumar Padmapani Bora said.
“In our New Tourism Policy, a special focus is on the ease of doing business and facilitating single-window clearance for film tourism. We are going to implement the policy aggressively and promote Assam as the ultimate film tourism destination in consultation with the film fraternity and tourism stakeholders,” he said.
Participating at the event in a high-end hotel, Assam’s Tourism Minister, Jayanta Malla Baruah said the State government has been putting in a lot of effort into making Assam the most film tourism-friendly State. “We shall be providing necessary support to attract filmmakers,” he said.
Air traffic movement soars
Tourism and business-related travel have made the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport or Guwahati Airport one of the busiest in the country, aviation officials said.
Regarded as the gateway to northeast India, the airport connects 32 domestic and two international destinations – Singapore and Paro in Bhutan – for passengers to and from Guwahati.
The airport recorded a footfall of some 4 lakh passengers in February 2023, which was 20% more than in February 2022. The airport also witnessed 1,800 flight operations in February 2023, which is 24% higher than the corresponding month a year ago.
“A passenger-centric approach led to this growth,” Chief Airport Officer Utpal Baruah said, adding that the airport has been upgraded with a luxury business lounge and other facilities in keeping with the increasing volume of passengers.
