The Promotion of Cultural Tourism in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh: An Evolution of Accommodation Facilities and Tourists Arrivals

Abstract

The Lower Subansiri district is one of the oldest district of Arunachal Pradesh with an area of about 3460 sq.km andabout 83,030 population (2011) spreading in 536 villages. Geographically, it is an undulating terrain, altitude variesfrom place to place. The greater part of it falls within the higher mountain zone consisting of tangled peaks andenthralling valleys. The district is lying approximately between 26°55’ to 28°21’ N of latitudes, and 92° 40’ to 94°21’ E of longitudes. The name of the district derived from the Subansiri River, a tributary of mighty Brahmaputra.The district is rich in natural as well as cultural aspects. Nature has nurtured and groomed the district in the form ofsuperb scenery of majestic mountainous landscape, inter-montane plateau and wonderful sights of colourful tribalcultures which attracts the tourists from within and outside the country. Thus, there lie possibilities for promotingcultural tourism. Cultural tourism is one dimension of such development which can provide benefit to local peopleboth financially and socially. But certain regulatory constraints, lack of basic infrastructure as well as trainedmanpower hindering the development of the tourism in the distict. Through this paper an attempt has been made toexamine the trend of tourist flow and changes in accommodation facilities as a result of promoting cultural tourismbased on field investigation and documentation.