Sixth North East Business Summit opens doors for tourism investments

The Ministry of Department of North Eastern Region (DoNER) along with Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) organiseda two-day business summit, ‘The North East – Opportunities Unlimited’ in Mumbai on January 21 – 22, 2011. Organised for the second time in Mumbai, the sixth summit, which witnessed participation of Chief Ministers, Tourism Ministers, high ranking government officials of North Eastern states, opened the doors for investment in the region.

 Delegates from across the country and also from neighbouring countries attended the summit. Three reports on ‘Powering Infrastructure Growth in North-East’, ‘Capacity Development & Skill Up-gradation in North Eastern Region’, and ‘Horticulture in North-East India’ were released by ICC and its knowledge partner, Yes Bank. The reports will assist policy makers and act as reference documents for all stakeholders.

Inaugurated by Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister, Nagaland along with Jayati Chandra, Secretary, DoNER, Shrivardhan Goenka, Senior Vice President, ICC, B M Lenong, Deputy Chief Minister, Meghalaya, M K Saharai, Chairman, ICC-North East Initiative, Dilip Dandekar, President, IMC and B K Handique, Minister for DoNER, the aim of the summit was to attract private sector investment for infrastructure development of the region in field such as IT, Mining Industries, Tourism sector among others and to promote North Eastern states as tourist friendly destination.

A number of sessions were held during the summit like Horizons of Heaven: Opportunities in the Tourism & Hospitality Sector, Agenda North East: Opportunities & Strategies, Enhancing Infrastructure in North East, Emerging Opportunities in Trade & Investment in South & South East Asia: North East India Perspective etc. The inaugural session also witnessed the distribution of the ICC North-East Excellence Awards to achievers in varied fields ranging from business to sports to journalism.

Highlighting the economic opportunities that Nagaland has to offer Rio said, “The state offers great scope in sectors like Agro & Food processing SEZs, Tourism & Hospitality, Medicinal & Aromatic plants. The region has the potential of being a major tourist attraction. The central government this year has withdrawn the ‘Protected Area Permit’ system for three North Eastern states (Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram) which will surely provide a much needed impetus to the tourism industry. It is now time for investors to consider opening hotels in Nagaland, as the state offers great scope and potential.”  

According to Handike, the North East Region has huge untapped economic potential, and the challenge is to convert possibilities into success stories. “The region’s proximity to South & South-East Asian nations can turn it into an international trade hub and big projects like Kaladan Multimodal Transport project can create stronger bridges for economic and trade cooperation between India and other Asian neighbours, with the North East acting as the gateway,” stated Handique.

The North Eastern states also displayed their products and showcased their comparative advantages to investors. In his vote of thanks Shrivardhan Goenka, Senior Vice President, ICC said, “Blessed with abundance of natural resources like bamboo, tea, rice and fruits, the North-Eastern states promise a paradise for the intrepid entrepreneur, with 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) opportunities on offer in power generation, roads, airports, horticulture and tourism. The Vision 2020 rightly emphasises that connectivity and infrastructure development is the cornerstone of development in the region.”

Source = travelbizmonitor