ABSTRACT
The chapter presents the case study of Tripura as a new destination brand in the Northeastern part of India. It discusses the change in approaches from being a laid-back one to that of proactive one since the time the new state government joined office in 2018. The leadership has been putting on extra thrust on the tourism sector and that has started to bear the fruits. In a competitive tourism market, where most of the Northeastern neighbors are established as tourist destinations, the steady start of the state of Tripura was possible through a planned branding initiative launched by the ministry of tourism, Government of Tripura. The chapter also highlights various competitive advantages the state enjoys as a destination, along with the possible challenges that ought to be overcome not only for the state, but also for the region, in the postpandemic scenario. Leveraging the inherent strengths of the state based on nature, culture, history, art, literature, climate, handicrafts, Tripura has been able to differentiate itself on planks, which also resonates in the strategies crafted by her competitors in the region, owing to some commonalities existing in that region. The infrastructural and connectivity-related push given by the new central government since 2014 has enabled tourist to reach out for this destination that was considered farflung and unreachable no so long ago. The railway connectivity of the state to Kolkata via Bangladesh is also on the verge of being completed. This will be yet another avenue for the tourist to reach out to this destination.
