Ethno Tourism: The Way towards Preserving Identities of Ethnic Communities of North East India

Tourism is a sector which generally plays a vital role in economic growth of a region and hence a country. India is not the exceptional in this regard. The crucial aspect of tourism particularly in case of India’s North East, is that it can play a pivotal role in preserving identities of ethnic communities. It is imperative in this context to lay emphasis on the usefulness of ethno-tourism or sometimes called as community based tourism, as far as the identities of some ethnic communities of this region is concerned. Those groups with the help of tourism can preserve their identities undistorted and keep themselves away from being assimilated to a larger and common identity. As culturally, geographically or by virtue of habitat those communities are having a different way of life in comparison to the other culturally hegemonic groups of this region, it has become crucial for those to construct the base of their distinct cultural milieu. Ethno-tourism will contribute immensely in this respect. One interesting aspect of ethno-tourism is that sometimes it helps communities that are on the verge of extinct to reconstruct their identities. They will not only keep their identities intact but will have the opportunity to become economically sound also. Thus their survival will be ensured with the help of tourism.

Key words: Ethno-tourism, Ethnic Identity, North East India

By Sasanka Dhaval Saikia