Southern Cross University: MKT01906 - Sikkim Tourism System Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of tourism in Sikkim, a state in northeastern India. It begins with an introduction to Sikkim, highlighting its geographical features, cultural diversity, and commitment to environmental sustainability. The report examines the historical importance of tou...Read More

Running Head: TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
Introduction of the Destination
Sikkim is a hill station located in the northeastern part of India. It is registered as the
22nd state of India. It lies at the eastern Himalayan region, surrounded by China and Tibet on
the northern and eastern side, Nepal on the western side and West Bengal on the southern
portion, which is another Indian state (Singh, Yadava and Neog 2017). The region is marked
with dramatic land contours and is the epitome of beauty with the Himalayas on one side and
the beautiful tea gardens, streams, valleys, waterfalls and orchards on the other side. It
comprises of dense green forest and includes India’s highest mountain. It emphasizes strict
rules, to be governed by the laws of the nature. The sunrise and sunset determines the day’s
agenda for a local. Sikkim is the land of diversity with people from different communities
and religions coming to stay in this place. It is a rich source of flora and fauna besides being a
hub to many pharmaceutical research plants. These plants use the resources of the forest to
make medicines and study other biotic advancements.
Adventure stories from trekking, hiking, camping, rafting, mountain biking and
kayaking or ropeways are absolute sources of beauty (Chakrabarty and Sadhukhan 2018).
Sikkim is very conscious about its environment. It practices organic and sustainable ways of
living despite encouraging tourism and innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities in
tourism. It has banned plastic water bottles as well as Styrofoam products (Chhetri 2018). It
has also remained as one of the least populous states that remains the second smallest state in
India. Sikkim has major stretch of one hundred rivers and streams, five hot springs, twenty-
one glaciers and twenty-eight mountains and amazingly altitude lakes that are recorded as
two hundred and twenty seven.
Sikkim has encouraged heritage tourism as its main theme and put efforts to make
people aware of its indigenous culture and goals. During the early 1990s, Sikkim was not as

2TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
popular a tourist destination, as it is today (Sharma et al. 2018). It has been in the last two
decades that Sikkim has established itself as a strong tourist spot. It has a rich cultural
tradition with diverse mix of people, based on ethnicity. Water scarcity is a common problem
in these regions; however, efficient use of resources is what the State focuses on. The use of
biodegradable substances and organic fertilizers has enabled the state to achieve the title of
‘Cleanest State’ in India with its proactive social and government law enforcement. Smoking
is also a punishable offence in Sikkim as it not only adds to air and land pollution but can
also be a cause for a potential forest fire. The place is well connected with state run buses and
jeeps which are major modes of local transport, other than the private cars.
Overview of the Historical Importance
The tourism of Sikkim promotes heritage tourism where it demonstrates its culture,
art, religion and food, through its hospitality and adventure tourism (Gurung, & goswami
2017). It is provided with comfortable and well-built hotels besides the densely available
home stays that provides a natural experience of the place with the native people. Sikkim is
broadly divided into four districts, North, South, East and West Sikkim. Gangtok is the
capital of the state. However, Rabdentse remains as the historic capital which is popular as
Pelling in the recent times.
An analysis of the International Tourism
The international tourism is increasing as Buddhism, a religion, popular in the West
and the East connects the communities through the teachings of calmness and experience of
serenity in the lap of the mountains. Roads are still being constructed and carpeted as Sikkim
faces severe damages during the monsoons due to the landslides and earthquakes, which are
predominant in these regions (Singh, Yadava, and Neog 2017). The original inhabitants of
Sikkim, though the Lepchas, are now living in harmony with the minor communities of the

3TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
Bhutia, Limbu and others. Majority of people living in Sikkim are Nepali while it also houses
the largest number of foreigners after Goa and Himachal Pradesh. The income inflow of the
state has risen considerably after the boom in the tourism, raising the Gross Domestic Product
(G. D. P.) of the country by a significant share of 0.12 percent.
The Two Key Destinations and other Attractions of the Place
The two key destinations includes Gangtok and Pelling. However, the major
destinations to visit in Sikkim are located in its four districts, of which, Gangtok, the capital
of Sikkim remains as the most important destination. It is followed by Pelling, North Sikkim,
Chopta Valley, Chungthang, Dzongri, Gurudongmar, Kabi Lungchok, Khecheopalri, Lachen,
Lachung, the various monasteries in Sikkim like the Peymangste Monastry, Namchi, Nathula,
Phodong, Ravangla, Rinchenpong, South Sikkim, Thangu, Singhik, West Sikkim, Yuksom,
Tsomgo, Zuluk and many other places (www.east-himalaya.com 2019). It consists of the
beautiful valleys, spiritual monasteries, serene lakes and the calm mountains.
Critical Analysis of the Tourism Activity
Sikkim is projecting a double-digit growth for its nation, for almost the last three
decades now. This has also helped in the generation of a huge amount of human capital.
Sikkim has not only established itself as a national but also as an international tourist
destination across the globe. The growth in the tourists coming to Sikkim has grown at the
rate of 11.87 percent, domestically and at a rate of 6.98 percent on an international level. The
tourism opportunities in Sikkim has not only created employment but has also booted the
other sectors due to the increasing growth in these sectors. It can be seen with the rapid
growth and developments in the regions of telecommunication, transport, retail markets,
educational system, hotel and hospitality system besides the banking system. The
contribution of the varied parts of the society was impossible without the government

4TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
interference. However, the culture and communities, residing in Sikkim who are a native of
the region are not quite welcoming towards accepting foreign culture or norms in their
territory. This marks a cold environment for the tourists, which embarks a negative impact
upon them. As a result, the number of tourists visiting Sikkim had dwindled in the recent
times. This was in association with the political that was going on in these regions of Sikkim
and associated hill stations of Darjeeling, related to the possession of Gorkhaland and
demarcating the demand for Darjeeling as a separate state. The feud continued to a serious
situation leading to the division of the larger community into two parts who battled against
each other, leading to a situation of murder, bombing, vandalism and hostile situations.
Regions of New Jalpaiguri and Bagdogra, both of which connect at Siliguri, is the place from
where the tourists board cars, taxis, jeeps or buses to head on to Sikkim as Sikkim does not
have its own station or airport. However, the State has two prime helipad grounds — the
Gangtok and Pelling. However, helicopters can only accommodate five people including a
child, if any, who shall be counted as any other grown up person. Nevertheless, the helicopter
ride can provide a beautiful view of the Himalayan belt with the white glaciers covering the
mountainous caps and a lush green terrain of the forest covers.
Other cultures are not always accepted or respected in Sikkim. This often generates a
tussle or fight among the people of the local region and the visitors, who are often the
foreigners. The cultures and practice in the other parts of the world, like the Western
countries and the metropolis is very much different from those in the remotely located
regions of Sikkim. If an outsider, preferably a tourist has wrong intentions towards a native
woman that results into rape, assault, harassments or vice-versa. This will result into a bigger
situation of hostility as grouping up of the locals starts. This will not only tarnish the image of
the place but also bring forth the role of the government and police officials in maintaining
law, order and security of the inhabitants as well as the tourists. This situation, evidently,

5TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
affects tourism. In the recent times, there has been an increase in the crime rates in these
regions of Asia. Most of these cases have surfaced as the tourist involvement. This creates a
sense of local antipathy. Even the government takes measures and developmental projects
that boosts tourism. Little is done for the locals and the people of Sikkim who lack basic
amenities of attaining medical treatments and education. Sikkim is struggling to make its
tourism work. Also, tourists often end up polluting the areas with plastic wastes as observed
in Leh and Ladakh. This not only makes the landscape look bad but also adds to the extra
effort that the locals need to put in to clear out this garbage. However, Sikkim is very strict
about this and it takes serious initiatives to keep its State clean and retain the beauty and
originality of the landscape. Tourists do add to the economic growth but their luxurious and
extravagant lifestyle with high-speed internet facility is depleting the fuel reserves of this
place along with water, which is a vital and necessary source of life, especially in Sikkim.
Tourism creates employment and boosts the local income. However, this helps the
people of the inland region to connect and communicate with the outer world, as there are
opportunities to meet other cultures and modify the telecommunication and transport systems.
Travelling has been booming since long. It is gaining popularity among the youngsters who
focus on living in the present than the future. This results in the creation of a beneficial zone
for the region in the national economy, which is otherwise deprived from the situations of
contributing to the nation’s economy by means of industrialization or so. The demography of
the place does not allow the same as the resources are not equitable distributed or accessible.
Vegetarian food is highly encouraged and available in these regions with lesser options to
avail non-vegetarian platters, as one goes higher up the hill. This is majorly owing to the
difficulty in carrying products up the hill, which makes them expensive as the vehicles
overcharge for the over-consumption of fuel, coupled with severe risks of accidents.

6TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
The tourism creates an immediate effect on the inhabitants of the place to grow by
means of promoting their handicrafts and indigenous products like woolens, shawl, honju and
pangden with a predominance of silk as the major fabric, woven beautifully in vibrant golden
and silver prints on colorful backgrounds. The availability of homestays allows the tourists to
carry out the way of living they desire in a more liberal way.
Tourism in Sikkim has alos led to the soci-economic development of the place. The
local communities. The tourism has a multiplied effect on the development of the economy
(Chakraborty and Chakma, 2016). A hotel may employ local staffs and pay them accordingly.
However, they create employment opportunities for others in doing so and as well generate to
the nation’s labor force. A hotel needs cooks, drivers, cleaning staff and others who would
cater to the needs of the customers, the tourists, and be their guide while helping them meet
their minor necessities like getting them medicine or a specific food or information about a
destination and other things that requires local knowledge. Not all people employed in these
roles may be highly qualified or educated enough to carry out a job where they need to
employ their academic knowledge or learning but mostly, their environmental knowledge.
Strengthening the relationship between the tourist and the State is an essential thing
that the State of Sikkim needs to work on to provide a warm environment for the tourists.
There should be enough measures to remove gender disparities and environmental issues like
soil erosion due to floods and rains. Deforestation and cutting down the mountains to build
roads is another prime reason for the landslides and soil erosion. This has also affected the
infrastructure and streets of Sikkim as the mountains are still young and prone to damages
(Puja and Amit 2016). The use of drugs and disturbance trends uncontrolled land sales,
misuse of lands are also coupled with various negative effects for the place. Mass tourism and
uncontrolled urban growth and over-looking of the government regulations are among the
many problems that the state of Sikkim has been encountered with, in the recent times.

7TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
Key Tourism Policy
Sikkim is a very small state, which is located in the Himalayan region. It is covered
on an area, measuring 7,096 square kilometers (Puja, and Amit, 2016). It rests in the
mistiness of the surpassing Kanchenjunga crest. The kingdom of Sikkim is one of the ten
basic habitats of the world that is known for its biodiversity (Mitra, Roy and De, 2015). It is
one of the most progressive states when it comes to environmental sustainability and
cleanliness. It also promotes tourism and varied vegetation, based on cultural and
conventional norms (Batabyal and Mukherjee 2017). The 2014 report of Sikkim Human
Development recognized it as a potential area for the development and business creation
process. The Chief Minister of Sikkim Shri Pawan Chamling, positioned Sikkim as the most
peaceful and politically stable environment for the tourists (Paul 2017).
Sikkim focusses on the sustainable development of the environment. It also focusses
on the strict use of resources by controlling over-utilization of these and enforcing strict laws.
The State of Sikkim uses organic and biodegradable resources besides using non-
conventional natural sources of energy. It is the landscape of Sikkim that attracts the people
and the beauty of the nature in Sikkim, responsible for the tourists’ attractions to this place.
Thus, sustainability, cleanliness and maintenance matters more and is highly responsible for
the beautification of the landscape to expand the tourism industry of Sikkim (Das 2019).
Tourism has also increased the GDP of the world and contributed to the economic
upliftment. The discovery of Sikkim as a tourist destination has not only developed business
like those of the pharmaceutical companies but also encouraged an international positioning
of the country in the global domain (Aung 2017). Wildlife sanctuaries are an added source of
recreation to explore the dense dark green woods of this destination. Development of
pathways inside harbors, availability of dustbins and availability of safe drinking water and
varied food helps reduce the waste produced by dumping packages of food and water

8TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
(Choudhury, Dutta and Patgiri 2018). Use of social media platforms and other international
conferences that boosts the profile of Sikkim is highly endorsing for its international tourism.
This establishes Sikkim as a potential state for tourism and a perfect destination for national
and international tourists (Indu 2018).
Conclusion
The state of Sikkim is richly endowed with greenery and beautifully decorated with
the vastness of the forest, mountains and streams. It is a house to a wide expanse of flora and
fauna. However, one can not get an easy access to the city lifestyle in these places that are
remotely located and almost cut off from the metropolis. Medical facilities and educational
system still exist as a major challenge in these regions. However, one needs to go out of the
hamlet to the remote regions in order to experience the beauty of the nature, in the lap of the
Himalayas.

9TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
References
Anon, Gangtok. Gangtok, capital of Sikkim. Available at:
http://www.east-himalaya.com/gangtok.php [Accessed September 29, 2019].
Aung, Z.M. ed., 2017. Tourism and Opportunities for Economic Development in Asia. IGI
Global.
Batabyal, D. and Mukherjee, S.K., 2017. Determinants of Tourist Visits in Destination
Development: An Empirical Analysis of Sikkim. In Tourism Marketing (pp. 11-23). Apple
Academic Press.
Chakrabarty, P. and Sadhukhan, S.K., 2018. TREKKING AND GEOTOURISM: A
SYMBIOSIS IN CASE OF GOECHE LA TREK ROUTE OF WEST SIKKIM IN INDIA.
GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 23 (3), 848–860.
Chakraborty, S. and Chakma, N., 2016. Economy and social development of rural
Sikkim. Space and Culture, India, 4(2), pp.61-79.
Chhetri, S, 2018, “Sikkim Tourism Policy to further promote sustainable tourism in state”,
https://nenow.in/north-east-news/
Choudhury, K., Dutta, P. and Patgiri, S., 2018. Rural Tourism of North East India: Prospects
and Challenges. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 23(2), pp.69-74.
Das, S 2019, “Towards the development of sustainable tourism in Sikkim, India: Issue and
Challenges”, International Journal of Research in Social Science, vol.9, iss.2, p.575-591
Gurung, C & goswami, 2017, “User Generated Content on Sikkim as an Image Formation
Agent: A Content Analysis of Travel Blogs”, International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism
Systems, vol.10, iss.2, p.47-57.

10TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
Hameed, B. and Khalid, A., 2018. Impact of Ecotourism in Ensuring the Sustainable
Development of Tourism Industry in India.
Indu, 2018, “Prospectus of ecotourism development in Sikkim”, Journal of management
research and analysis, vol-05, iss-02, p.247-250, ISSN: 2394-2770, http://jmraonline.com
K.C, D 2018, "Tourism and its Impact In Indian Economy", Journal of Humanity and Social
Science, vol-21, iss-6, ver-4, p.24-28, e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845,
www.iosrjournals.org
Kaewkhunok, S, 2018, “Public participation and Ecotourism: The role and the right of people
in Sikkim”, SADF Focus, iss.37, ISSN 2406-5633, p.1-12
Katyaini, S., Malakar, K., Barua, A. and Mili, B., 2017. Assessment of climate induced
seasonality of tourism for planning sustainable tourism-a case of Northeast
India. International Journal of Society Systems Science, 9(2), pp.119-138.
Mandal, P & Sengupta, 2015, “The impact of tourism on livelihood and environment in west
Sikkim: A case study of pelling”, ILEE, vol.38(1), p.1-9
Mitra, S., Roy, S. and De, S.K., 2015. Tourism Industry of Namchi, South Sikkim: An
Overview. Geographical Review of India, 77(2), pp.170-181.
Paul, S., 2017. Analysing tourism attractiveness using probabilistic travel model: A study of
Gangtok and its surroundings. Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 9(3).
Puja, M. and Amit, K., 2016. Role of Media in the Promotion of Sustainable Tourism: An
exploratory Study of Sikkim. The Researcher-International Journal of Management
Humanities and Social Science, 1(2).

11TOURISM IN SIKKIM: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
Sharma, S., Mistri, R., Chettri, A., Bhattarai, B. and Choubey, M., 2018. Indigenous
Knowledge from Livelihood Perspectives in Rural Households of Sikkim: An
Analysis. Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 9(3), pp.593-597.
Singh, S., Yadava, A.K. and Neog, Y., 2017. THE DETERMINANTS AND MEASURE OF
TOURIST’s PERCEPTION: A STUDY OF NAMCHI DISTRICT OF
SIKKIM. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 7(9), pp.380-397.