Eastern Himalayas: Khangchendzonga Conclave Paves The Way For Sustainable Rural Tourism In Gangtok

Published on September 13, 2025

The highly anticipated 3rd version of nan Khangchendzonga International Tourism Conclave officially opened successful Gangtok connected Friday. The arena has been organized pinch a attraction connected strengthening agrarian tourism crossed nan Eastern Himalayas. The two-day conclave, which runs until Saturday, gathered stakeholders and officials from various sectors of nan tourism industry, aiming to pave nan measurement for a much sustainable and community-based attack to tourism successful nan region.

Sikkim’s New Focus connected Responsible, High-Value Tourism

At nan opening ceremony, Sikkim’s tourism curate Tshering Thendup Bhutia addressed nan gathering, marking a displacement successful nan state’s tourism priorities. He emphasized that Sikkim is now focusing connected high-value tourism alternatively than low-value alternatives. This alteration is rooted successful nan state’s committedness to promoting responsible tourism practices. The attraction will beryllium connected strategies that guarantee tourism tin coexist pinch nan environment, section communities, and nan economy.

Minister Bhutia shared that nan authorities government is moving towards managing visitant flows to high-altitude destinations for illustration Nathu La, Lachung, and Lachen, ensuring that these areas stay protected from nan antagonistic effects of over-tourism. In a bid to create a much balanced tourism future, Sikkim is implementing policies that stress sustainability, pinch nan extremity of protecting earthy landscapes, boosting section economies, and preserving nan well-being of communities.

The Absence of Delegates from Nepal and Bangladesh

The conclave, however, was impacted by nan absence of representatives from Nepal and Bangladesh, 2 neighboring countries that traditionally return portion successful nan event. Due to ongoing unrest successful Nepal, nary delegates could be successful person, though Nepal Tourism provided an audio-visual presentation. Several representatives from Bhutan, however, were capable to be nan arena successful person, contributing to nan location dialogue.

Despite nan beingness absence of delegates from these countries, tourism officials and stakeholders from some Nepal and Bangladesh followed nan programme remotely, engaging pinch nan conclave’s sessions online. This integer information has further expanded nan event’s reach, allowing for much inclusive discussions contempt nan governmental challenges successful nan region.

Strengthening Cross-Border Tourism Links

One of nan cardinal goals of nan conclave is to create a stronger model for cross-border tourism and to promote community-based tourism successful nan Eastern Himalayas. This inaugural intends to heighten nan tourism infrastructure and collaboration betwixt India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, recognizing nan imaginable of this region arsenic a unsocial tourism destination. By fostering stronger ties among these neighboring countries, nan conclave hopes to build a collaborative attack that benefits each stakeholders, peculiarly section communities.

A Growing Tourism Hub successful Northeast India

The tourism assemblage successful Sikkim has grown importantly successful caller years, positioning nan authorities arsenic 1 of nan astir salient destinations successful Northeast India. According to charismatic data, Sikkim welcomed complete 12 lakh visitors successful 2024, marking an awesome maturation successful home tourer arrivals, pinch an yearly summation of 18.4 percent. The emergence successful tourism numbers tin beryllium attributed to nan region’s scenic beauty, rich | taste heritage, and a assortment of escapade and ecotourism activities disposable successful nan state.

Sikkim’s improvement arsenic a cardinal tourism destination successful nan Northeast is further underscored by its increasing infrastructure. With a organization of astir 7 lakh, nan authorities has a sizeable number of hotels and resorts—over 12,000 successful total—catering to some home and world travelers. The emergence of homestays has been peculiarly notable, pinch complete 1,900 registered establishments offering visitors an authentic acquisition of Sikkimese civilization and lifestyle.

A Focus connected Rural Tourism and Community Involvement

One of nan standout features of Sikkim’s tourism strategy is its accent connected agrarian tourism, which is cardinal to nan state’s improvement plans. The attraction is connected offering travelers a much authentic, immersive acquisition successful agrarian areas, encouraging them to prosecute pinch section communities and participate successful taste activities. The state’s homestays play a captious domiciled successful this model, providing visitors pinch nan opportunity to enactment pinch section families, summation penetration into nan region’s traditions, and lend straight to nan section economy.

The description of rural tourism is seen arsenic an basal facet of Sikkim’s tourism policy, aimed astatine dispersing nan benefits of tourism beyond nan astir celebrated municipality centers. By promoting homestays and encouraging travelers to research lesser-known destinations, Sikkim hopes to trim unit connected crowded tourer hotspots while simultaneously boosting economical improvement successful much distant regions of nan state.

Future Prospects for Sustainable Tourism

Looking ahead, nan Khangchendzonga International Tourism Conclave hopes to supply a broad roadmap for sustainable tourism successful nan Eastern Himalayas. This includes measures for amended biology conservation, organization engagement, and nan creation of tourism infrastructures that minimize biology impact. The conclave has go an basal level for discussing really to equilibrium nan increasing request for tourism pinch nan request for responsible, sustainable practices that protect nan region’s earthy and taste resources.

As nan region continues to turn successful popularity, nan request for responsible tourism practices becomes moreover much pressing. The conclave intends to supply a forum for authorities officials, circuit operators, section communities, and world stakeholders to collaborate connected solutions that beforehand sustainable improvement without compromising nan integrity of nan region’s situation aliases communities.

Sikkim’s Role successful Shaping Regional Tourism

The Eastern Himalayas stay 1 of nan astir ecologically divers regions successful nan world, and Sikkim is poised to return connected a activity domiciled successful shaping its tourism landscape. By focusing connected responsible, high-value tourism and empowering section communities, Sikkim is mounting an illustration for nan remainder of nan region to follow.

With Sikkim’s innovative policies and accent connected sustainable tourism, nan authorities looks group to proceed its upward trajectory arsenic 1 of India’s astir important tourer destinations. The successful implementation of these ideas will apt animate different regions successful nan Eastern Himalayas to adopt akin approaches, ensuring that nan beauty and taste richness of this area are preserved for generations to come.