Rethinking Tourism: The real experience lies in the village

September 27 is World Tourism Day 

Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | September 26

A Swiss couple who once visited Dzüleke stood in silence, mesmerised by its pristine beauty and the surrounding lush green forest and a few moments later, made a solemn oath from that day onwards to never ever kill an animal. “Why do you speak of Switzerland? This is another mini Switzerland right here,” they had told Michael Megovisa Sophi, who took the couple around.

On the eve of World Tourism Day that falls on September 27, which will be observed under the theme— “Rethinking Tourism,” Sophi emphasized that “the real experience lies in the village.” This is precisely why he offers his clients an exquisite rural experience, enabling tourists to immerse themselves in the very culture of the local people during their stay.

In over last three decades, Sophi has guided thousands of foreign and domestic tourists across Nagaland especially in the Khonoma area. His clients have always gone back with enriching experiences of the rural life, some of whom not only witnessed the paddy harvesting season but also immersed themselves in threshing of rice.

Recalling guiding a group of boys and girls who came from well-off families, he said, “These were children who did not even know how to wash their plates. There were 27 of them and we travelled from Dimapur to Kohima on an NST Bus and then camped at Dzüleke during which they probably cooked for the first time in their lives.” At the end of the two-day trip, a girl stood near a small hanging bridge in Dzüleke and cried, “I don’t ever want to leave this place.”

These are moments that leave Sophi with a renewed sense of love for his homeland. “Instead of us teaching them, we learn a lot,” he further stated. There was another visitor who commented that Dzüleke was worth being called a “university of nature.” Also keeping alive the tradition of storytelling, he would often wrap up a day with a storytelling session sitting around a bonfire.

Post pandemic, he observed that the tourists who visit Khonoma are mostly Indians whereas prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority were foreign tourists. He is in awe of the fact that currently there are visitors pouring in everyday regardless of the weather conditions.

There is presently a new trend among tourists, he also observed while explaining that “they don’t even want to depend on tour operators while visiting a place. They are free travellers and want to explore the place on their own.”

Reiterating that the real experience lies in the village, Sophi went on to say that the annual Hornbill Festival is too commercialised and too artificial. “It is well defined as the window to Nagaland but the government is making our villagers a gimmick,” he remarked.

“Though they get to see diverse cultures, the real experience lies in the village”, he reiterated while also noting that “we are being very unfair to our travellers.” “If they want to see something about a tribe”, he felt that they must experience the village life, smell the cooking, do things which villagers do, which has much more to offer than watching some movements in colourful attires.  

Towards this end, he also felt that setting up proper infrastructure in the villages and improving the road condition are of prime importance. If tourism can play a proactive role, he emphasized that Nagaland has a lot of potential while especially pointing out that “there are many local potentials that can be brought out.”