Introduction:
Tourism is a growing phenomenon
worldwide, fuelled by both the growth of the entertainment industry and the
increase in international travel.
Despite the fact that statistics
concerning directly the impact that 2nd World War have had on
tourism are limited, there are still some remarkable figures. Countries like
UK, Australia, and America have an increasingly interest in studying and
developing the Battle-induced tourism. Given the existence of this type of
tourism and the potentially significant economic value of this strand of
tourism to the economy, understanding the drivers of Battle-induced tourism and
exploiting its effect are crucial issues to comprehend.
International attention:
The momentum
for publicity of Imphal Campaign of WW-2
pick up from 2013 when the National Army Museum of the UK voted the twin Battles of Kohima and Imphal as
the Greatest Battle of Britain on 20 April 2013.
Since then many films based on the battle of
Imphal were produced and screen “ Imphal- 1944” produce and Directed by
Japanese Actor/Director based in London, Junichi Kajioka and Bollywood Film
“Rangoon” are worth mentioning. “Imphal-1944” travels the world for various
Film festivals and bags “Best Short Period Drama award” and “Best Producer
Award” in Monaco International Film Festival, 2014.
Battle of Imphal and Tourism Potential:-
Battle of Imphal,
which starts from march 19, 1944 to July 6th , 1944 has lot of potential to induce tourism. In
this battle Indians were fighting on both side. The participation of INA is
another aspect which will attract lot of Indians. Some facts which need to
ponder from the perspective of Tourism are:
— 3 Japanese divisions were involved in
the campaign. A total of 120,000 Japanese soldiers reached the hills and valley
of Manipur.
— 40,000 soldiers were registered as Indian
National Army soldiers
— A total of more than 2,50,000
British, Indian , Americans, Canadians, Australian, Africans, Chinese and
Burmese participate the campaign as allied force.
— More
than 60 % of Indians and Gurkhas who died in the battles were never recovered
from the battlefields and hence they are listed in Rangoon Memorial as Missing
in Action.
— There
are five locations where 5 Victoria Cross were awarded in Manipur.
— The
Two Cemeteries and one memorial under the Commonwealth War Graves
— Commission is the epitome of Battle Tourism in
Manipur.
The Major
battles that fought in Manipur are:
— Battle of
Sangshak
— Battle of Kanglatongbi
— Battle of Red Hill
— Battle of Nungshigum
— Battle of Kameng
— Battle of Tengnoupal/ Shenam Saddle
— Battle of Bishenpur and Ningthoukhong
— Battle of Modbung
— Battle of Torbung
— Battle of Silchar Track
Other than these battle fought on land, there was an Air
Battle fought almost everyday between Allieds and the Japanese above the skies
of Manipur till June 17, 1944.
Conclusion :-
In the very near
future, the battlefield locations, war time Jeep tracks, plane crash sites (General Wingate crash site in highest
priority ), colonial structures (Slim cottage in first priority), Landmarks and
locations which are associated with important incidents of the war will bring
and attract the highest number of foreign tourist. This locations need deeper
research and development at par with international standards.
Manipur with its
unique beauty, indulgence to Great War
and a historical association with one of the Greatest battles of South
East Asia in World War 2 makes it a high ground for making films from Bollywood
as well as Hollywood. Developing infrastructure and propagating the unique
history of the war to the world will definitely make it conducive for Tourism
growth in the long run.
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