Kaziranga National Park (KNP) has witnessed an unprecedented surge in footfall this season, thanks to a series of initiatives undertaken by the State Government, and in no less measure the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year.
The direct outcome has been the increase in prosperity of people around the park and a surge in employment. The Choran Ahem Karbi Ethnic Food Centre is one of the beneficiaries. It has drawn tourists in numbers to its indigenous food outlet in Natun Danga village near Jakhalabandha.
Mangal Sing Teron of Choran Ahem, attributes their popularity to the initiatives taken by the Forest Department. “A few of us from our village had set up this outlet at the advice of the Forest Department officials in 2010. We started with tea and biscuits. We moved to indigenous Karbi food in due course. Since, 2019, there has been a very impressive footfalls of tourists, especially foreigners, to our outlet,’’ Teron told Asom Barta
“We started as a self-help group which resulted in village women getting meaningfully engaged, besides young boys, who took this as an opportunity to earn their living while continuing their formal education. We, too, have benefited from the increasing tourist footfall this season,” he concluded.
Official statistics from KNP put the figure of tourist footfall this season (2023-2024) at 3,27,493, the highest ever footfall. The KNP has managed to earn ₹8.8 crore revenue from them. What has helped the cause of Kaziranga besides the high-profile visit to the park of Mr Modi and the visit of Bhutanese King His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck are some unique wildlife sightings.
Sonali Ghosh, the Director of the Park, who was also the centre of attention during the visit of the Bhutanese King and the Prime Minister, is all optimistic of KNP scaling further heights. “The visit by dignitaries, especially Hon’ble Prime Minister of India on March 9 helped in boosting the image of Kaziranga as a wildlife tourism destination to the world. New discoveries with wildlife sightings such as that of Golden Tiger, Gangetic dolphins, migratory birds among others helped in attracting tourists.’’
These visitors have not only upped the profile of the KNP but have managed to bring it into a must visit place for many benefiting the likes of Munna Sharma, an entrepreneur. “I have been engaged in organising jeep and elephant safari for tourists in the Park for almost 23 years. I now own three jeeps. We also hire seven elephants from places like Tezpur, Dekhiajuli, Mangaldai, Bongaigaon, Guwahati, and others, during the tourist season. I have witnessed an increase in tourist footfall after the visit of Prime Minister Modi,” Munna told this reporter.
He added that what has also helped in increasing tourist footfall is that the State Government has extended the tourist season to eight months from the previous season of six months, while appealing to the Government to increase it by a couple of months so that the likes of those who are dependent on income from the Park can benefit.
Kohora resident Pankaj Sharma is another entrepreneur who has two jeeps for tourists. “The way Prime Minister Modi used social media to up the profile of KNP was a watershed moment. We are all proud to be associated with KNP,” he told this newsletter.
Resorts and hotels in and around the Park are also doing better than ever. We are noticing an increasing booking in our resort. Tourists from Pune, Gujarat, Kolkata, and Maharashtra, are booking in impressive numbers with us, says an official of Tesco Resort near Kaziranga.
Similarly, one of the oldest and famed resorts in Kaziranga Borgos has also seen increasing booking. “Our resort recorded an average occupancy of 90% in March and April,” an executive of the resort informed this reporter.
The Prime Minister, during his visit, also interacted with members of Bon Durga, a unit raised especially for the safety and security of animals and natural resources of the Park. “It was a dream when the Prime Minister decided to interact with us. This will certainly inspire us to dedicate ourselves even more to the safety of the wildlife resources in KNP,” Nampo Pegu, a member of the unit told this newsletter.
“New vistas of activities such as cycling, trekking, birdwatching and tea tasting circuits in the fringe areas and in Biswanath and Nagaon areas have also helped in promoting GREATER KAZIRANGA concept to the visitors,” the Director summed up.
