Itanagar | The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched a project at a village in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh for promoting eco-cultural tourism.

Eco-cultural tourism is a concept where both ecological and cultural aspects of a landscape are combined for attracting tourists.

The project was launched on Friday at Kabu village by NABARD general manager Partho Saha, a communiqué said on Saturday.

Saha said that the huge potential of the state for eco-cultural tourism would provide an ideal getaway for city people who look for avenues to relax among pristine nature.

Young Men's Adventure Club (YMAC), the implementing agency of the project, has a responsibility of sensitising the entrepreneurs about the importance of conservation, Saha said.

The other components of the project are preserving, promoting and propagating the unique culture of the Galo community, the NABARD official said.

“Through the homestays and the proposed ‘Ethnographic Centre', the project partners will endeavour to open a window to local cuisines, local weave and handicraft, folklores, tribal religion, mythology, livelihoods and family structure, ” Saha pointed out.

While these would be of immense interest to the tourists, they had the potential to provide substantial income to all the stakeholders, he added.

NABARD district development manager (DDM) O P Mounglang said, “Kabu village already has a reputation as the cleanest village in the district, having been awarded the prize for the last two consecutive years”.