Report of Educational tour to Pelling and Ravangla, Sikkim Department of Economics

Name of the Activity: Educational Tour to Pelling and Ravangla, Sikkim
Category of the Activity: Extension Programme
Organising unit: Department of Economics
Duration of the activity: 21 – 26 April 2025
No. of Participants: 23 students and 04 faculty

Objective of the activity: To conduct two primary surveys on  HOUSEHOLD DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS and TOURISM PATTERNS IN PELLING/ RAVANGLA in order to bring out patterns and effects of tourism on local ways of life and shed light on the various socio-cultural-economic aspects of the informal sector in Sikkim, with specific focus on the Pelling tourism industry.

Brief description of the activity: The tour started from Howrah station in the afternoon of 21st April 2025. After a night halt at Siliguri, the group of 23 students and 4 teachers reached Pelling on 22^nd April 2025 afternoon. After lunch, the students straightway went to the lower Pelling marketplace to conduct the aforementioned survey based on the questionnaire prepared under the guidance of the teachers. They took first-hand interviews to collect data on the preference patterns of tourists in Pelling and its interactions with the local tourism industry by surveys on both ends of the contact, i.e. the consumers and the local homestay based firms that make up the tourism industry in Sikkim. After such plentiful local interactions, the students returned to the hotel exhausted by the long day of travel and survey. In the next two days, the students were provided with the opportunity to further their knowledge on local tourism via the following sight-seeings (the majestic Namchi Chardham, the serene Ravangla Buddha Park, the pious Khecheopery Lake, Kanchenjunga Waterfall, Orange garden, Temmi Tea Garden, the new Pelling Skywalk, to name only a few). In addition to such academic motivations, the tour provided the students with roller-coaster experiences of long drives in the mountains, Mt. Kanchenjungha view during sunrise, chilly bonfires, and last but not the least, the amazing food and hospitality of the hills. The students, with their teachers, returned to Howrah station on Saturday, less tired and more overwhelmed by the week spent together, gone by as if in a blink.

Outcome of the activity: The educational trip was to initiate the students towards experiences and observations beyond the strict confines of the book. The department had provided each student with exercise books and stationery to pen down their thoughts regarding the tour. It is evident from these tour diaries that though enjoyment with friends was an agenda, they were not oblivious to their surroundings. While they could appreciate the scenic beauties, they could also realize the infrastructural bottlenecks that characterises Sikkim tourism industry (Pelling and Ravangla). Concern about the environmental hazards like landslides, frequent floods, pollution, changing weather conditions, unplanned constructions, etc. that are affecting the tourism industry both from the demand and supply linkages finds mention in their observations. The sample survey was just to encourage such a spirit of social research among the students in order to prepare them for future research projects and other job market prospects.