Local tour operators from the Northeastern region, individuals and organizations at the policy-making and operational levels in the field of trade, industry, transport, tourism, hospitality and especially Bangladesh Foundation for Tourism Development participated at a daylong roundtable “India’s Look East Policy: Strengthening the Look South Aspect: Exploring win-win synergies through Indo Bangladesh Border Trade and Tourism” at Shillong on Monday. 

The caucus was organized by Asian Confluence at its conference hall and was supported by Directorate of Commerce and Industry, Meghalaya Government.

Member NEC, MP Bezbaruah in his keynote address made a vision document for the region that was billed to bring the northeast into the national picture, but failed. 

“We have not really articulated what we need from the Look East Policy. I would expect civil society to come up with state-wise schemes on what we want from this policy. Myanmar and Bangladesh will play an important role in development of North-East,” he said. 

Former finance and home minister, Meghalaya, AH Scott Lyngdoh said that the Look East Policy has made little progress since its inception in 1990’s. He said that there was lack of facilities and infrastructure for tourists in the northeast and that there was a need to improve infrastructure to promote tourism and trade.

The roundtable discussed threadbare various important topics related to India’s Look East Policy – The Look South Aspect.

The caucus emphasized on convenient VISA processing System – setting up visa office in northeast, setting up non-government body to make  a platform for northeast tourism, linking up and creating northeast circuit and connecting to South East Asia, making Shillong a hub for tourism and trade, urgent need to restructure relation between India & Bangladesh, creating win-win situations through trade in tourism – need of sufficient infrastructure to facilitate trade, facilitation at the borders, transport connectivity between the two countries, developing highways – developing bus services from Dhaka to northeast, issue of money exchange – rupee directly to taka (doing away with dollar), positive image building of Bangladesh amongst Indians – build a trust through different outlets of media (print, social media etc.) (e.g. incredible northeast), historical tourism, medical tourism, Mukti Youdha – develop a memory trail, cultural tourism, creating Aadivasi Circuit between India and Bangladesh, developing our water-base as tourism potential (e.g. connecting Brahmaputra River) and rural tourism, facilitating informal trade – emphasis on border people to people trade (benefitting people from both sides of the border), creating platform for research in tourism, trade, history of the region – exchange programmes between private universities in Meghalaya and Bangladesh.

To synergize these issues the roundtable also proposed “way forward” which includes linking academician, role of media in NE and Bangladesh, creating tour packages, pushing for consular services, linking policy makers, bring all NE actors and planning a calendar of events to enable people to people contact.

The roundtable was also participated by Department of Transport (Meghalaya), Department of Tourism (Meghalaya); Department of Tourism (Assam); Border Development Organizations; Founder, Bangladesh Foundation for Tourism Development; Owner, Shamoli Transport, Bangladesh; Dacca University; ICARE , Shillong; international tour operators from the region; hotel operators from the region; academic community from the region; editors and columnists.