PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS OF TOURISM ALONG WITH IDENTIFICATION OF TOURIST SPOTS IN THE HAFLONG REGION, ASSAM

Tourism is one of the best trades as it offers employment to the local youth, foreign exchange earnings, diplomatic and cultural relations, and overall boosts the economy. According to World Tourism Organization (WTO), tourism is the leading sector in the globe in terms of employment creation and income generation. As per the Statista Research Department Report, Foreign exchange earnings have reached 30 billion U.S dollars and 87 million employments from the travel and tourism sector in India in the financial year 2019. Tourism is a modern concept as it has great potency for sustainable development of nature-based resources, vast wildlife, beautiful forest, and landscape. Haflong is the only hill station of Assam, located at the foothill of Borail range in southern Assam. The Haflong region is widely known for her natural lake, cultural diversity, bird mystery, and enchanting nature. The tourism potentiality of the
region includes Nature tourism, Eco-tourism, Cultural tourism, Religious tourism, Wildlife tourism, and River tourism. Geographical isolation, poor infrastructure amenities, political instability, and lack of awareness are some of the challenges. The present paper intends to highlight various potential tourist spots and explore the bright prospects and problems of tourism in the Haflong region. The data are collected from secondary sources only.