Blue Vanda: Connecting visitors to local livelihoods & boosting tourism economy

Vishü Rita KrochaKohima | October 16While Tourism in Nagaland state has been experiencing steady growth over the last few decades, a fully dedicated platform connecting local businesses, has long been a missing link. This is where “Blue Vanda,” (https://bluevanda.travel) a website hosting experiences, homestays and guesthouses, boutique hotels and resorts, cafes and restaurants, travel essentials, events, Hornbill Festival and places in Nagaland all in one place has come alive to elevate both a visitor’s travel experience and boost local community growth.“The idea really came to me after a trip to Dzüleke with friends from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and the UK who have always wanted me to show them Nagaland. We stayed at some lovely homestays and had such a great experience. But it got me thinking — if you’re a visitor coming from outside Nagaland, how would you even know that some of these places exist? Many wonderful homestays, cafés and local experiences don’t have their own websites, and some may have very little presence on social media,” related Kenei Kuotsu, founder of Blue Vanda, who is based in Singapore.“Meet the Craftsman Tour” Experience in Sovima, hosted by Heirloom Naga CentreHis co-founder is Dr Emmanuel Kenneth David.Stating that the idea behind Blue Vanda is actually quite simple, he explained it is, “to connect visitors coming to Nagaland with the wonderful local businesses and experiences we have here, and in doing so, help our communities and local economy grow.”While there is also the annual Hornbill Festival bringing visitors from all over the world to Nagaland every year, he highlighted, “yet there isn’t really one place where someone can come and easily discover where to stay, what to eat, what to do, where to explore and the different experiences Nagaland has to offer.”“That’s really why we created Blue Vanda,” he added while exuding “hope to bring local businesses together on one platform and make it easier for visitors to discover them and connect with them directly.”When visitors stay in a local homestay, eat at a local café, book a local guide or experience, or discover a small business they might otherwise never have found, he underlined, “that money goes directly into our local economy and supports the people behind these businesses.” Partial view of the Experience Naga Kitchen in Chedema hosted by Dr Keneilhoulie Medom Further highlighting that they have tried to keep it very simple for business owners, he said that, “if you can upload a photo or story on Instagram or Facebook, you should have no problem listing your business on Blue Vanda. You can add your own description, upload your best photos and even have visitors contact you directly through WhatsApp.”Once a business is listed, he explained, “You remain in control of your page. You can log in anytime to change your rates, update photos or information, and even see how many people have visited your listing.”As Blue Vanda takes care of hosting and maintaining the platform, he stated that individual businesses don’t have to worry about building or managing their own website.With the website already live now, he expressed, “it’s lovely to see it slowly coming to life with homestays, cafés, resorts, events and even a pickleball court.” The Backyard Experience of Nagaland’s growing pickleball culture, hosted by Deo Longchar  Over time, he stated belief that it would become ‘a place where someone planning a trip to Nagaland can genuinely discover the best of what our people have to offer.”The listing is open to everyone with an annual subscription at a promotional rate of Rs 5,000, which he added, “is essentially a small annual marketing cost for your dedicated page on Blue Vanda, which we host and maintain for you.” Building even a basic website can cost anywhere from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000, and that usually excludes the ongoing cost of maintaining it every year, he stated. Dreamz Unlimited will also be releasing a Blue Vanda reel on Facebook and Instagram this month to introduce the platform to a wider audience. Revealing this, he said, “So if you have a homestay, café, restaurant, tour, activity or any other business or experience that you feel visitors to Nagaland should know about, I’d really love to see you come on board before the reel goes out.”More than anything, he emphasised, “I’d love Blue Vanda to grow into something that helps visitors discover Nagaland through the people who actually live here — while helping tourism income stay within our communities, supporting local livelihoods and contributing in a small but meaningful way to the growth of Nagaland’s local economy.”