Sri Vijaya Puram, June 11: A delegation of the Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO), along with the Pradhan of Gram Panchayat Ram Nagar, met the Director of Tourism, Shri Vinayak Chamadia, at his office today to discuss various tourism-related issues pertaining to North and Middle Andaman.
The delegation comprised AATO President Shri M. Vinod, General Secretary Shri Saikat Biswas, and Pradhan of Gram Panchayat Ram Nagar Shri Mithun Das. During the meeting, several matters concerning tourism infrastructure, destination development, community participation, and promotion of tourism activities in the region were discussed.
One of the key issues raised was the need for enhanced tourism facilities at Ram Nagar Beach. The Director of Tourism assured the delegation that Ram Nagar Beach would be included in the forthcoming Island Tourism Festival celebrations. He also assured support for improving washroom and visitor facilities at the beach in coordination with the Gram Panchayat.
The Director informed the delegation that four new scuba diving sites have recently been identified and marked in Diglipur, which is expected to boost adventure tourism and attract more visitors to North Andaman.
Shri Mithun Das requested that officials from the Directorate of Information, Publicity & Tourism (IP&T) be deputed to attend Gram Sabha meetings of Panchayats to facilitate better coordination and awareness regarding tourism development initiatives. The Director responded positively and assured that tourism department officials would participate in such meetings whenever feasible.
The delegation also discussed the need to create employment opportunities for local youth through adventure tourism. In this regard, the Director assured that officials from the Tourism Department would participate in AATO’s proposed North & Middle Andaman Familiarisation (FAM) Tour and awareness programmes aimed at encouraging local youth to establish scuba diving centres and related tourism enterprises in the region.
AATO General Secretary Shri Saikat Biswas expressed gratitude to the Director of Tourism for his positive response and support towards the development of tourism infrastructure and community-based tourism initiatives in North and Middle Andaman.
The meeting concluded on a positive note with a shared commitment to strengthening tourism development and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities across North and Middle Andaman.