Guwahati: The Union Ministry of Tourism on Friday announced the winners of Best Tourism Villages Competition 2024 on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
The Best Tourism Villages Competition was introduced in 2023 with an aim to promote tourism in the villages of India.
The focus was to identify and recognise the villages which preserve and promote cultural and natural assets through community-based values and commitment to sustainability in all aspects.
The first edition of the Best Tourism Villages Competition in 2023 saw applications from as many as 795 villages.
In the second edition of the competition, a total of 991 applications were received from 30 states and union territories out of which 36 villages were recognised as winners across eight categories.
Among these 36 villages, six are from the Northeastern states of Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya.
From Assam, Sualkuchi in Kamrup district has been awarded for its craft, Sialsuk village in Aizawl district of Mizoram has bagged the award in the community-based tourism category and Alpana Gram in West Tripura district of the princely state has won the award in the community-based tourism category.
On the other hand, Andro village in Imphal East district of Manipur has been awarded for its heritage, Umden village in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya has won for its craft and Mawphlang village in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya has bagged the award for its heritage.
Sualkuchi has a large number of cottage industries engaged in handloom for which it is also known as the Manchester of Assam. Sualkuchi is called the textile centre of Assam for its muga silk, pat silk, eri silk and endi cloth which have earned fame for its quality.
The exotic green splendour of Sialsuk is a one-day camping experience full of exploration, adventurous sports, and unique sights and cultural experiences. The region is surrounded by vegetation-covered hills, lesser-explored forests and has a rich local culture and history.
Alpana Gram is famous for the murals (a large picture painted on a wall) drawn on the mud walls and has developed as a popular tourist destination.
Andro is a small hamlet popular for its pottery. This village is home to the Andro Gramshang Museum which comprises different varieties of traditional pots. Along with pots, the women also make vases, piggy banks and lamps. Apart from pottery, Andro is also famous for a doll house which showcases dolls belonging to 29 popular Manipuri tribes.
Umden – known as the eri silk village of the Northeast – is also a popular destination to experience the lush greenery amidst the whistling sounds of the village’s feathered friends.
Mawphlang - maw (stone) maw phlang (grassy stone) - is one of many settlements in the Khasi Hills named after monoliths. It is also the site of one of the sacred groves of the Khasi Hills. The Khasi heritage village is considered to be the hub of Khasi culture.
