The second North East Festival got underway in Bangkok on Friday, with discussions taking centre stage as leading Thai tour operators mingled with regional tourism stakeholders.
Shyamkanu Mahanta, the festival’s principal organiser, gave a presentation to kick off the gathering, which was held at the Centara Grand Hotel in this area.
It featured talks on Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, and Nagaland and was moderated by Cyril Diengdoh, director of tourism for Meghalaya.
Suchitra Durai, the Indian ambassador to Thailand, referred to this as a ground-breaking endeavour to advance Indo-Thai relations in her welcoming speech.
Speaking on joint initiatives to boost tourism between the two regions were Union Minister RK Ranjan, Ministers of Assam Urkhao Gwra Brahma, and Nagaland Robert Romawia Royte. The Northeast region of India and Thailand were the main historical concentration of the speakers. More than 50 tour guides and government representatives from the Northeast talked with Thai tour guides.
The festival was described by the chief minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, as a “historic move that will shift the entire dynamics of India’s Act East Policy.”
In addition to industrialists and policymakers located in Bangkok, Durai sponsored a special lunch session that was attended by chief ministers, Cabinet ministers, and high Northeast officials. The main event will start on Saturday, and Jurin Laksanawisit, the deputy prime minister of Thailand, is set to attend.
The festival’s first edition was held in February 2019 and was officiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The festival is being organised by the Guwahati-based sociocultural foundation, Trend MMS, with assistance from the Indian Embassy in Bangkok and several state governments in the Northeast. The festival is also anticipated to draw professionals, local Thai residents, and ambassadors from many ASEAN and QUAD nations.
