Assam Tourism

Assam Tourism

Assam, in the north east of India, is the most advanced and accessible state in the otherwise underdeveloped and isolated region called Northeast India. It is surrounded by all the six northeast states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura, as well as by Bhutan and Bangladesh. Its biggest city, Guwahati, is the best base to start journeys into these states. Assam lies just south of the eastern Himalayas, with the important Brahmaputra River cutting across it. In the northern hilly areas, the population is mainly tribal while the plains contain predominantly non-tribal Hindus. Agriculturally very fertile, with heavy rains between June to September, it is full of rice paddy fields, produces about 15 percent of the world's total output of tea

    The Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. was incorporated on the 9th June, 1988 and registered under the Companies Act, 1956 Vide No.- 02-03006 of 1988-89. The State Govt. of Assam has promoted and set up the Corporation for growth and development of tourism in Assam.

Assam lies just south of the eastern Himalayas, with the important Brahmaputra River cutting across it. In the northern hilly areas, the population is mainly tribal while the plains contain predominantly non-tribal Hindus. Agriculturally very fertile, with heavy rains between June to September, it is full of rice paddy fields, produces about 15 percent of the world's total output of tea (Assam Tea being a brand name in its own right) and also produces more than half of India's petroleum. Assam is also famous for its silks such as Paat or Muga. However, the rains that make it so fertile also make Assam uncomfortably humid during the summer and rainy seasons.

    
To promote and develop tourism in the State of Assam.
   
To take over and develop and manage the tourist lodges, tourist hotels, restaurants, guest houses, entertainment projects etc. from the State Govt. of Assam and also to purchase, acquire, develop, construct, sell, lease etc. for the purpose of promotion and growth of tourism.
   
To acquire, operate and maintain cars, buses, coaches, launches, rope ways and other modes of transport for communication of tourists.
   

Over the years, both the Central and State Govt. of Assam had identified and executed several large, medium and minor tourism projects for infrastructure building as well as schemes for marketing and promotion of Assam Tourism.

These included infrastructure projects like the following all of which have had a major impact on promotion of tourism in the state of Assam.
   
Development of Tourism circuits Tourism Complex
   
Yatriniwas
   
Tourist Reception Centres
   
Upgradation and expansion of tourist facilities
   
Development of Pilgrim Centres
   
Water Sports etc.

The renewed emphasis on tourism, mainly in the sphere of infrastructure development has been well complimented by the recent statistics of tourist inflow as briefly depicted below :

Tour              2004             2005                2006               2007              2008

Domestic           22,86,630       24,67,656       32,68,657     34,36,484      36,17,306
Foreign         7285           10,782       11,151       13,105       14,426