Guwahati: The Assam govt has taken a significant step towards promoting tourism in the state by transforming tea estates into tourist destinations . On Saturday, state tourism minister Jayanta Malla Baruah distributed sanction letters to 34 selected tea estates in the second phase of the “Promotion and Development of Tea Tourism Infrastructure in Assam” scheme. The scheme aims to leverage the natural beauty and heritage of tea estates to boost tourism in the state.
Under this scheme, each selected tea estate will receive a financial grant of up to Rs 2 crore to develop their infrastructure, including accommodation facilities, amenities, and activities. Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah emphasized the potential of tea estates in Assam to attract tourists from all over the world, stating, “Even after completing 200 years of the tea industry of Assam, tea tourism remained unexplored due to various obstacles in the past its full potential could not be explored. But tea estates in Assam have the potential to attract tourists from all across the world.
So, the state government is working at full speed to give a new dimension to the tourism sector of the state by overcoming all the obstacles.” The minister also highlighted the potential of golf courses and heritage bungalows in tea estates to be developed into tourist destinations. He appealed to the managements of the sanctioned tea estates to preserve their uniqueness while renovating the existing structures.
Additionally, the govt has taken initiatives to build around two lakh toilets in tea estates across the state to ensure sanitation for tea garden workers. The upgraded infrastructure under the scheme will enable tea estates to offer unique experiences to tourists, such as tea garden tours, participating in everyday activities with the workers, trekking in the lush tea gardens, tea-testing sessions, visiting modern tea factories, and even plucking tea leaves. Chairman of Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited Rituparna Baruah said, “In the wake of ongoing poor financial condition of the tea estates, the scheme will also help families of tea garden workers to associate with the tourism industry and thereby developing a new source of earning for them.
” He added when the tourism sector will fully grow, the revenue earned from the sector might be used by the tea estate managements to take up many development works in the tea estates. In the first phase of the scheme last year, 25 tea estates have already been selected and given 50% development subsidy up to a maximum of Rs 2 crore, and its upgradation work is in full swing. With more than 800 big and and 60,000 small estates spread across 300,000 hectares, Assam has the world’s largest concentration of tea plantations and employs 17% of the state’s workforce.
Assam tea accounts for 55% of India’s total tea production and 80% of the country’s export..
