annie joseph, pune
mr. tamta is talking about high-end tourism, that does not leave very many
footprints. good idea, but what about the domestic tourism. is he meaning to
snuff out that sector? it is for the govt and administration to put in
checks and balances, do and dont's whose implementation is strictly done, so
that the islands are not adversely affected. Domestic tourism with its low
spending and low profits accrued do serve a purpose in that the unorganisd
sector of employment among the people of the islands are benefited and they
have a means of livelihood.

On 11/1/07, zubair ahmed <zubairpbl@...> wrote:
>
> The Light of Andamans :: Issue 39 :: 15 Oct 2007*
> *
> *SamirSpeak*
>
> *Tourism Alternatives: Food for Thought*
> *
> By Samir Acharya
>
> Congrats! Chodhury
> I admire and appreciate the bold and novel decision of our Principal Chief
> Conservator of Forests, Mr. S.S. Choudhury to give independent charge of
> some Forest Divisions to the senior and deserving officers of State Forest
> Cadre. I believe that six posts of Division Heads have been earmarked for
> SFC officers and appointments made.
> We have always been supportive of the cause of the SFC officers because
> they
> know the Island forests best. They have always served here and know these
> forests intimately. Proposal after proposal to even create Forest
> Sub-Divisions and putting the SFC officers (ACFs) as in-charge of the
> Sub-Divisions under DFOs were turned down earlier. This is a very positive
> step and will definitely improve the performance of the Forestry Sector.
> The SFC officers must now take on their new responsibility seriously and
> demonstrate their capability. They should know that no PCCF could be
> successful without their service and support.
> Three cheers for Mr. Chowdhury.
>
> Food for thought - DR Tamta
> Tourism, instead of bringing a boon to the Islands, has actually brought a
> curse on the Islanders. In recent times the accumulated anger of the
> Islanders and even the Tour Operators have been vented a number of times
> in
> the local media. Yes, I am talking about the curse of LTC tourists, whose
> only contribution to the Islands is bringing scarcity of water,
> inter-island
> boat tickets, Island-mainland ship tickets and even air-tickets for the
> localities. What makes it worse and intolerable is that it is totally
> state-funded. It is a creature of the bureaucracy-business nexus, at its
> worst. One hopes that the local voices are heard in the corridors of power
> in Delhi.
> The Establishment frequently blames the Activists and NGOs for criticizing
> and failing to offer an alternative. Well, let me try to do this.
> Since tourism industry in the Islands must follow the limitations imposed
> by
> our carrying capacity, we must limit the volume. Since revenue earning
> needs
> drastic improvement, we need high value. In other words we need a
> relatively
> small number of tourists to spend a relatively high amount of money. Here
> is
> an example.
> Sport fishing is very popular and is gaining more and more popularity in
> the
> affluent countries. It not only offers an exotic locale and exposure to
> exotic species, but also throws in some vigorous outdoor activities with a
> flavour of adventure thrown in. There are only two operators in the
> Islands
> now, soon to be three, I gather. The operators bring in groups, mostly
> from Europe now, for sport fishing in Andaman waters.
> The duration of a tour is six days and a tourist pays 1500 Euros for a
> trip.
> So, a tourist pays 250 Euros (Rs. 13,710/-@ 55/-per Euro) per day. Not a
> bad earning per capita at all. All the operator needs is a seaworthy boat,
> say between 22 to 36 feet fitted with an engine between 150 to 400 HP, so
> that the boat can attain a speed of 20 to 25 knots. The boat can carry
> between 6 to 10 tourists at a time for longer voyages. Most sport-fishers
> bring with them their own fishing gear. But they should be able to hire it
> locally. They catch groupers, snappers and even a tuna if they are lucky.
> Some fishers will have the fish for dinner. If they catch many, they
> sometimes just take a photograph and then release the fish. Such
> activities
> leave very small footprints and are, therefore, the most preferable model
> of
> tourism.
> Since this model of tourism is absolutely seasonal, an operator with a
> single boat can cater to, perhaps 150 to 250 tourists, easily, earning
> between 37,000 to 50,000 Euros (20 Lakhs to 27 lakh rupees) per year,
> given
> the local constraints.
> Ideally, there could be four zones in Andamans; North, Middle, South
> Andamans and Ritchie's Archipelago. Each zone can comfortably support
> 3--4 operators to begin with, catering to 1800 to 3000 tourists per year,
> and earning a revenue of three to four crores per year, assuming each
> operator operates only one boat. Actually, each operator should have 4-6
> boats in operation. That way, the turn over would be in excess of 20
> crores.
> What needs to be done to encourage this model?
> a) Since the foreigners are not permitted any night halts in most places,
> the groups needs to come back everyday from the fishing spot and go back
> again the next day. If certain convenient locations are earmarked as
> camping
> sites for sport fishers, it will save them a lot of time and travel and
> make
> the package more attractive.
> b) It will help some local entrepreneurs to provide camp/tent
> accommodation, sanitary facilities and victualling. Some local employment
> will be generated and the community hosting/near hosting in the sports
> fishers will stand to gain.
> c) A local entrepreneur could set up a small facility for re-fuelling the
> boats at the required spots to save the operators the burden of carrying
> fuel for the return sailing too.
> d) We need clear and user-friendly rules for registration of operators and
> boats. Now there seems to be a lot of confusion.
> e) Since sport-fishing like diving is an eco-tourism activity, the
> operators
> can tie-up with the Forest Department to identify camping sites. The Lt.
> Governor could be approached for permission for this class of tourists to
> night-halt at designated campsites.
> f) The Tourism Department could approach our Polytechnic for a module of
> training in sport fishing venture operator for local interested youth.
> g) With time, when tourist flow increases, a shop selling fishing gear at
> the Port Blair and a few near the jetties/camp sites selling live baits
> would be viable.
> h) Soon, the campsites will start attracting bird and butterfly
> watchers also.
> I shall look forward to the day when this become a reality. Till then, LTC
> tourism Murdabad must remain our slogan.
> *
>
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