1. Sustainable Destination Management at the Seven Sister States: Recommendations for the Future
Emily McIntyre, Leah Jorgensen, Karina Scherloski, Merel van-Haastert, Paul Liao

2. Outline Plan Introduction Background Environment Social/Culture
Economy of S
even Sister States
Group-led Activity
Discussion Questions
Recommendations for the Future
Conclusion

3. Countries with Himalayan Mountains

4. Map of India

5. Map of the Seven Sisters

6. Introduction
By 2010, Mountain tourism will account for 20 per cent of total tourism expenditures (WTTC, 1999)
1960’s –Current, many tourists trek the Himalayan mountain associated with a pilgrimage
Economic opportunities were underscored, but large scale change ..,..

7. Seven Sister States Include…
Most states have:
* Their own tribes
* Own type of art
* Culture
* Dance
* Music
* Lifestyles
* Own fairs and festivals

8. DMO’s Involved: Wonderland Treks Government of India
Government of Seven Sister States

9. The Seven Sister’s Main Resources
Tea-based products
Bamboo
Natural gas
Silk
Oil
Handicrafts
Abundant forests
Exotic flora and fauna
Great land for growing plantation crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs
Natural beauty

10. Environmental Impacts on Mountainous Regions
Limited accessibility
Fragile environment
Currently encourage intense resource use
Overexploitation of resources with little concern for environmental consequences
(Jodha, 2000)

11. Environmental Impacts Cont’d
Environmental degradation
Depletion of forests
Soil erosion
Drying up of water sources
Destroyed arable agricultural land
(Karan, 1994)

12. Waste Management Issues
Self generated solid waste from visitors
Large number of visitors
Amount of solid waste is also increasing
Overloaded areas with growing stockpiles of garbage
Could create water crisis (Kuniyal, 2005)
Pollution attributable to expedition, trekking and camping activities of trekkers
Garbage includes food, glass, clothes, tents, dead bodies (Regmi, n.d.)

13. Endangered Tigers India claims that there are 5000 tigers
Experts say this figure is actually closer to 3000
Tiger hunting was banned by the Indian government in 1981
Demand for tiger related goods (Thinkquest Team, 1997)
Aranachal Pradesh has a tiger project (expand)

14. Corbett National Park

15. Future Directions for Achieving Environmental Success
Address the needs of the local people in regards to conservation and development, including tourism
Locals should actively be involved as stakeholders in the protection of the environment
Tourism should not increase pressure on local resources (I.e.: use alternative energy sources)
Adequately dispose of human waste and other garbage (Wonderland India, 2007)

16. Environmental Recomendations
Start more movements against ecological destruction
Open more local movements against deforestation (Karan, 1994)
Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Respect
Segregate waste into two categories: biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste (Kuniyal, 2005)

17. Social Issues
Mountain regions obtain a global concern, which turns into a disregard to local perceptions and practices (Singh and Jodha, 2000).
The local culture should have a high level of commitment on formalised planning activities such as regional planning and environmental impact assessment (Bramwell and Lane, 2000).
Micro and Macro Environment need to work together

18. Stakeholder Involvement
Government of India and State governments
Research Institutions
Regional Universities
Indigenous groups
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Natural Resources
People’s Republic of China
Natural Resource Organizations
Tourism Operators
Transportation Operators
Local Culture
Tourists

19. Partnerships
“A voluntary pooling of resources (labor, money, information etc.) between two or more parties to accomplish collaborative goals” (Chavez and Selin, 1995).
Current Partnerships: North Eastern Council (NEC)

21. Cultural Issues Loss or change of culture through: Commodification
Standardization
Loss of authenticity and staged authenticity
Adaptation to tourists demands
(UNEP, 2001)

22. Dimensions of Cultural Impacts (Singh, 2007)
Tourism Industry E x p e c t a i o n
Tourists
Difference, encounter,
acculturation
Host Community
Resource use, commodification and dependence
Ethnic and political fragmentation, indigenous groups and sub-cultures resource equity
Consumption

23. Indigenous Control of Tourism
Spatial limitation
Hosts set limits on entry to homelands and sacred sites
Activity limitation
Hosts established preferred tourist activities
Temporal limitation
Hosts indicate appropriate times for tourist access and use
Cultural limitation
Hosts limits on access to cultural knowledge and rituals
(Zeppler, Year)

24. ECONOMIC SLIDES

25. Workshop & Consensus Building Activity
-Transportation
-Accommodation
-Education
-Tourist Attractions
-Fresh Water and basic amenities
-Animal Protection
-Implementation of Waste Management Initiatives

26. Answer:
Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth

27. Discussion Questions
Do you have any further suggestions as to how stakeholders may share their resources?
How may North Eastern Council help to make a difference for tourism development?
Do you think working with neighbouring countries is beyond the scope of Northeast India?
Based on this presentation do you have any other future ideas for the Seven Sisters?

28. Innovative Initiatives and Recommendations for the future:
Collaboration and Partnerships
Workshops
Consensus
Collaboration under Joint marketing, promotions and research
Co-management
Adaptive management
Collaboration Under Sustainable Tourism Development

29. Best Practice Benchmark Audit Environmental Management System
Continuous Monitoring and Improvement
(Issaverdis, 2001)

30. Collaboration and Partnerships
“A process of joint decision making among autonomous, key stakeholders to resolve problems and or to manage issues related to the planning and development” (Text. Ch 13).
Collaboration can be a critical way to achieve common goals.
Best practice: Eagle Valley Partnership (Chavez and Selin, 1995).

31. Workshops
“Small group sessions (usually with a maximum of 35 participants) held for a period of intense study or training. The emphasis is on exchanging ideas and demonstrating skills and techniques” (Howell, Ellison, Ellison & Wright, 2003).
Important for information sharing
A place where stakeholders can discuss important topics

32. Consensus
Cooperative alliances between government, public and private sector
Compromise, Negotiate and Collaborate are essential when reaching a Consensus
Way to find a common ground
Community building
Resolve stakeholder representation issues
Interest-based

33. Collaboration under Joint Marketing, Promotions and Research
Improve appeal of the destination
Improve networks and linkages
Attract funding
Tourism Destination Branding
Competitive Advantage
Marketing Initiatives
Sustainable Development

34. Co-management
“Co-management is when the rights and responsibilities pertaining to a particular resource are shared between government and local users” (Yandle, 2003, p. 180).
Opportunities for
Negotiation and external support
Common shared vision
Leadership
The notion of relationships among people (Plummer and Fitzgibbon, 2004).
Cross-border Partnerships

35. Adaptive Management
Continuous modifications and adjustments based on learning experiences
Learning by doing, shared learning
Response to rapid change
Flexibility
Monitoring, evaluation and corrective action
Innovate ways to improve management

36. Adaptive Planning Processes and Organizations

37. Collaboration Under Sustainable Development
Help to solve issues of naturally depleting resources
Help to resolve cultural issues
Maintain Biodiversity and achieve local empowerment through stakeholder involvement, working together and collaboration
Eco-tourism as an opportunity

38. Knowledge Gaps Lack of Awareness Lack of Education
Lack of Basic Amenities and Sanitation
Lack of Facilities
Poor Transportation
Poor planning and instruments of natural disasters

39. Conclusion
The Government of India has recognized the need to develop sustainably
Awareness and Education must be raised
Implementation of amenities, facilities and certain Westernized comforts
Working together to continuously improving will help to achieve Sustainable Development

40. References
Bramwell, B. & Lane, B. (2000). Tourism Collaboration and Partnerships: Politics, Practice and Sustainability. Great Britain: Biddles Ltd.
Conservation International (2007, November 6th). Biodiversity hotspots. Retrieved November 6th, 2007, from
Jodha, N. S. (2000). Globalization and fragile mountain environments: Policy challenges and choices. Mountain Research and Development, 20(4),
Karan, P. P. (1994). Environmental movements in India. The Geographical Review, 84,
Kuniyal, J. C. (2005). Solid waste management techniques for the waste generated and brought down from campsites in the hill spots, trails and expedition tops. Waste Management & Research, 23(3),
Regmi, P. (n.d.). Himalayas labelled “the highest junkyard in the world.” Retrieved October 25, 2007, from
Singh, S. & Jodha, N. (2000). Globalization and Fragile Mountain Environments: Policy Challenges and Choices. Mountain Research and Development, 20(4),
Wikipedia (2007, May 17). Seven sister states. Retrieved October 31, 2007, from
Wonderland Treks and Tours (2007). Retrieved November 11th, 2007, from
Yandle, T The challenge of building successful stakeholder organizations: New Zealand’s experience in developing a fisheries co-management regime. Marine Policy 27, 179–192

41. References Cont’d
Dev, B.J., & Lahiri, D.K. (1987). Manipur: Culture and Politics. India: Mittal Publications.
Singh, T. (1972). Manipur A Study. Rajesh Printing Press.
Agarwal, A.K. (1988). North-Eastern Economy: Problems and Prospects. India: Mittal Publications.
India Tourism Statistics. (2003). Market research division ministry of tourism government of India (PDF). Retrieved November 13, 2007, tourism.gov.in/rtia/..%5Cstatistics%5CFTAIS2003.pdf
Gopalakrishnan, R. (1991). The North-East India Land, Economy and People. Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd.
Maps of India. (2004). Travel, hotels and profile of Meghalaya. Retrieved November 13, 2007, from
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. (2007). Retrieved November 12, 2007, from
Government of Assam, Economic Survey of Assam. (2006). Retrieved November 13, 2007, from
Infrastructure. (2003). Assam (PDF). Retrieved November 13, 2007, from
NER Databank. (2002). North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. Retrieved November 12, 2007, from

42. Thank you!
Please inquire with us if you have any further questions, comments and concerns!