Itanagar: Anini, the headquarters of Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley district is quickly becoming a sought-after tourist destination, thanks to recent developments in its infrastructure.
The valley was once known for its difficult terrain and poor connectivity, but the situation has changed, with the development of better roads and growing popularity of eco-tourism.
The Mipi and Acheso valley, along the Mathun and Dri rivers, are the two scenic locations in Anini where roads are being properly developed. The development of this highway is expected to boost adventure-related tourism in the valley, and locals have shown keen interest in tapping this potential.
The Idu Mishmi community that inhabits Anini has been engaged in farming, hunting, and wet and terrace cultivation of rice for generations. Kiwi grown in the valley is known to be the best in the state, and the Dibang Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is teeming with exotic species such as the Himalayan Tigers, Red Panda, and the Mishmi Takin.
The valley is also known for numerous waterfalls, and many homestays and tour travel agencies have come up, endorsing these natural attributes.
Farming and hunting are the traditional occupations of the Idu Mishmi community in Anini, and the valley also supports wet and terrace cultivation of rice. The town is also known for producing the best kiwi in the state.
Rezina Mihu, a local entrepreneur who runs an eco-resort in the town, said, “Anini is the land of untouched natural beauty. It is home to beautiful landscapes, quaint villages and pristine calmness. It is not like any other typical tourist destination.”
Mihu said most people have already started to consider Anini as a major ‘tourism hub’ as it has been witnessing a considerably large amount of tourist inflow in the past five months.
Mihu, like many others, operates the ‘Mishimi Hill Resorts & Hotels’, a branch of ‘Mishmi Hill Family’. Under the resort banner he also operates ‘Mishmi Hill Trekkers-Beyond Nature’, an adventure facility which generates jobs for unemployed youths by promoting them as guides for adventure seeking visitors. On the same line, some initiatives of the local youths like Seven Lakes trekking project, seasonal adventure sports, etc. have also started to attract more and more visitors.
Concerns of responsible tourism
However, with the growing number of visitors, there is a concern among the locals about the need to create responsible tourism to avoid pollution and other negative impacts.
Mihu said the large influx of tourists in the past few months has made them realize the need for promoting responsible tourism and avoiding pollution of any sort.
If these aspects are not looked into at the early stage it will create problems for us in the future. “We do not want Anini to be an XYZ tourism place which is exploited because of overcrowding”, he said.
To address this, the community has constituted the ‘Biodiversity in Tourism Development Society, Dibang Valley,’ that has made certain guidelines for the visiting tourists and it is giving its best to ensure that the guidelines are followed in letter and spirit by the visitors.
However, despite the positive developments, Anini still faces several challenges. The lack of an active district tourist officer (DTO) is a major concern, and locals feel that the department has not been able to cope with the aspirations of local entrepreneurs.
The lack of a DTO has also led to poor implementation of funds meant for augmenting appropriate infrastructures.
Additionally, many local startups have found government subsidies to be less favorable, as banks deduct loan amounts at higher interest rates than promised.
Efforts
The local leadership is prioritizing the development of infrastructure, education, health, electricity, and telecommunication to promote the area’s growth.
There is a hard persuasion to bring faster mobile connectivity, and Bharati Airtel has scheduled the completion of all required installations by April.
Despite the sudden boom in tourism, Anini has been able to maintain its rustic vibe and age-old traditions, making it a unique tourist destination.
Also read: Grab tourism opportunities: DyCM Mein tells Arunachal youth
