Importance Of Tourism In Manipur

One of the main attractions of Manipur is the brow antlered deer often called the ‘Dancing Deer’ by the locals is one of the three species of Eld’s deer in the world confined to South East Asia.(Sonia,Binota,2012.pp237).The brow antlered deer of Manipur is found only at the Keibul Lamjao National Park in a marshland covering an area of 40sq.km which is the only habitat of this highly endangered species. The park is also rich in fauna and accounts for 81 species of birds, 25 species of reptiles and 22 species of mammals.(Sonia, Binota 2012). Another tourist destination of Manipur is the fresh water lake of Loktak which is the largest fresh water lake in eastern India covering an area of 287sq.km.The Tourist Bungalow set atop the Sendra Island

Besides, other tourist sites are the Chiru Water fall, Khonghampat Orchidarium housing over 110 rare varieties of orchids including a number of endemic species located along the National highway no.2.

Manipur is a land of rich cultural heritage and a land of bio-diversity with 36 tribal ethnic groups (Mohendro,2012).living together since time immemorial. The tribal folk dances of different groups residing in the hills of Manipur are an expression of nature, creativity and aestheticism of the tribal way of life.The land of Manipur is full of festivals of the various communities living together harmoniously. Some important festivals of the state are-Ningol-chak-kouba of the Meiteis, a social festivals of the Manipuris, Married daughters come to their parental home with their children and enjoy a sumptuous feast prepared by their brothers and later receive blessings for a prosperous peaceful life. Yaoshang festival is another premier festival of the Meiteis celebrated during the month of February and March.

However in case of NE India except Assam, Sikkim and Meghalaya other states including Manipur the desired results in terms of growth in per capita income has not received as compared with their counterparts. Enough literature and relevant literature regarding eco- village tourism has not been found either worth referring. This is due to the fact that in Manipur there is no visible eco-village tourism site so far. The increasing concern about physical limit to global growth in the early 1980’s provoked an anxiety about environmental degradation in the developed industrial world.(Meinam Binota,2009).This calls for conservation of the land and forest preservation through eco-village tourism. Moreover, the state government has not paid enough attention to this particular sector. The present study therefore attempts to find out the potential and prospects of eco-village tourism of Ukhrul District of the state. Given with suitable criteria of eco-village tourism, I hope Ukhrul District have the maximum potential of all the necessary criteria to create eco-village tourism sector in the District. The responsibility of both the travelers and service