Guwahati: Sipping the best Assam tea while watching the tea garden workers plucking the tea buds or even participating in the tea plucking session will soon be a reality for tourists in the state as the government here has decided to explore the verdant tea gardens as the next tourist destinations.

With over 800 major and 60,000 small estates spread across 300,000 hectares, Assam has the world’s largest concentration of tea plantations.

Assam’s tourism minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said, “If Assam wants to be in the top five states of the country and India wants to be ahead in global economy, then tourism will have to play a vital role in achieving these goals. Assam has been exploring the wildlife tourism for quite some time and now it’s time that we need to explore more sectors.”

He added that since wildlife tourism has its own limitations, the state government has been working on promoting tea tourism in the state which the department believed would be a game changer. “Wildlife tourism has a saturation point. It’s seasonal and there have to be a capping of the numbers of visitors allowed in national parks so that wildlife can flourish. Therefore to overcome such limitations, the state government is exploring other avenues,” he added.

The minister informed that the state government has already decided to provide Rs 200 Crore subsidy to investors who would restore and make the heritage bungalows and gardens in tea estates to a tourist friendly destination.

“The state government has decided to provide Rs 2 crore subsidy some 100 tea gardens to develop the infrastructures. This year we will provide the subsidy to 50 tea gardens and will provide to next 50 gardens next year,” he added.

Assam government has recently announced that it has decided to allow up to 5% of the total land of tea estates to be used for the promotion of eco-friendly tea tourism, the cultivation of agricultural crops, green power, and animal husbandry.

For the purpose, the state government has also amended the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holding Act, 1956, through an ordinance.

In February this year, Assam finance minister Ajanta Neog while placing the budget in the state assembly said, “Assam is home to one of the oldest and best tea gardens in the world. Some of these tea gardens are located in picturesque surroundings with the potential to become great tourist destinations. But without proper lodging facilities around the tea garden come, normal tourists are not able to enjoy the bounty of nature surrounding these tea gardens.”

However, the state government has decided to encourage private players to promote the tourism industry in the state. On Tuesday, marking the world tourism day, Mallabaruah added, “Assam government has decided to encourage private groups to come forward and invest in tourism sector. The government will facilitate the investors and make policies rather than building hotels. Also local entrepreneur are welcome to set up home stays and ethnic food hubs.”