ENVIS Centre: Tripura State Pollution Control Board

The State of Tripura is endowed with natural landscape of hilly terrain, green vegetation, flowing rivers. The ethnic diversity of the state offers diverse lifestyle and culture. The tourism industry in the state could well become an organised sector with significant potentiality. The major focus of tourism in the state however was largely publicised in the area of wildlife tourism and related fields. The State of Tripura is one of India's the most ancient princely states. There are many tourist attractions in the State which mesmerizes the visitors time and again with its natural, heritage and cultural mixture. From historical sites to natural wonders, from parks and wildlife scantuaries to temples, the State has been bestowed with many eyecatching scenes and places.

With the gradual increase in the number of tourists in Tripura, the need for accommodation has also increased. The Government thus has taken necessary steps to provide the best tourist lodges, guest houses and hotels to visitors coming to Tripura from places afar. Apart from the government, private lodging facilities are also provided to the tourists with optimum facilities and all necessary luxuries. Accommodation in Tripura is a non-complicated affair for easy online or telephonic booking is available.

Special tours may be arranged to the Handlooms and Handicraft centers, Sericulture, Rubber Plantation, Tea Plantation areas.

The Information and Tourism directorate publicizes currently 54 important tourist spots. These includes Archaeological remains at Unakoti, Pialk Devtamura and Boxanagar, Royal Palaces, Temples and Mosques, Wetland (Rudrasagar, Dumboor lake, M.B.B. College lake, Radha Sagar, Krishna Sagar, Kamal Sagar, Mahadeb Dhigi, Jagannath Dhigi, Kalyan Sagar, Amar sagar, etc.), Wildlife Sanctuaries, tea gardens (Deawanbari in North Tripura) and one Rubber plantation (Pacharthai in North Tripura). Some of these are listed below :

SomeTourists spots in Tripura

The current status of the tourism facilities vis-à-vis total number of tourists visiting the State could be seen in tables below respectively.

Tourism Facilities for the State of Tripura

[Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, 2020-21]

Tourist Visited in Tripura

  [Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Govt. of Tripura]

An upwardly mobile trend of tourism is clearly observed even in disturbed socio-political condition of the state. To cater to need of the visiting tourists one tourist information centre at Kolkata and Tourist Information Counter at Agartala and Kolkata Airport are functioning. In addition tourist information are available for the intending tourist from Tripura Bhawan at New Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati. Tourist informative materials are being published, tourism festivals are also being organised in the State to attract the attention of the visiting tourists. A separate Web Site has also been launched for propagation of tourism products. Aggressive and sustained efforts for marketing of tourism products are required. 

One of the major limitations for promotion of tourism appears to be the cost of travel from Calcutta. Though tourism has been declared as “Industry” in the State but private entrepreneurs are yet to actively associate themselves in the travel trade, which is required to be persuaded. Scope for group tourism and package may offer a better deal. At present package and conducted tours are being organised regularly by the Tourism Department to get the desire result.

To overcome the impediment of transport communication air communication between Kolkata-Agartala, Agartala-Guwahati, Agartala-New Delhi are required to be increased. The Airport in Kailashahar, North Tripura District required to be upgraded and make functional with immediate effect, so that small aricraft can operate and connect the Nprth Eastern State with Agartala. In addition at least one flight in a week in between Dhaka- Agartala be introduced to get foreign tourists from Bangladesh. If a Regional  Tourist circuits is introduced involving Bangladesh, North Eastern States including Tripura, Bagdogra, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Nepal and Bhutan is introduced then the tourism scenario in Tripura would get a tremendous boost for achieving socio-economic development through its multi plied effect.

Ecotourism to Tripura can be efficiently planned, specially under guided programme both for promotion of tourism and conservation of environment through non-consumptive practices.

Carrying Capacity & Environmental Implication of Tourism

The tourist data shows that steady increase of number of tourist visited in the State. This figure shows that the State has a prospect of tourism growth. The environmental implication of the further growth of tourism industry in the State, however need to be understand the following parameters:

·        Increased pressure on the carrying capacity of the ecosystem in each tourist locality.

·        Increased transport and construction lead to large scale deforestation and land use change.

·        Increased tourist flow leads to increase in solid waste dumping as well as depletion of water and fuel resources.

·        Flow of tourists to ecologically sensitive areas lead to destruction of rare and endangered flora and fauna due to trampling, killing, destruction of breeding habitat.

·        Noise pollution from vehicle, water pollution, vehicular emission, untreated sewage and waste, etc. will increase with additional tourist traffic.

For integrated development of tourism sector, adequate monitoring of each of the above parameters are to be ensured.