Kaziranga, Assam | 27 September 2026: A family home in the lesser-known village of Geleki Mikir Gaon in Kaziranga, has received a special recognition on World Tourism Day. Aaghun Homestay has been honoured with the Award of Excellence – Visitors’ Choice Award 2026 by Assam Tourism.
The award was presented by Ajanta Neog, Minister for Tourism, Assam, at World Tourism Day celebration for the first time by the Government of Assam at the picturesque Umgangso lakeside in Dima Hasao district. The event was attended by Debolal Garlosa, Chief Executive Member of the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, along with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC), senior officials of Assam Tourism and other dignitaries.
The choice of Umrangso as the venue also highlighted the growing importance of Dima Hasao in Assam’s tourism landscape. Umrangso and the district as a whole have significant potential for nature, adventure and community-based tourism and the region has been witnessing increasing interest as a tourism destination.
Hosted by Abhijit Gogoi, a former journalist who spent nearly two decades in the media, and his wife Samadrita Rudraj Bora, a nutritionist, Aaghun is the result of a decision by the couple to leave city life and settle in a village near Kaziranga. The couple moved from Guwahati to Geleki Mikir Gaon with their family, choosing village life and a slower way of living. Aaghun Homestay grew from that personal journey and their desire to show travellers an Assam that exists beyond conventional tourism.
“We wanted to experience this life ourselves before inviting others to experience it. After spending most of our lives in the city, moving to a village changed the way we looked at travel and tourism,” said Abhijit Gogoi.
“Kaziranga is much more than the National Park and a safari. There are villages, people, food, forests, rivers, tea gardens, stories and an entire way of life around it. Aaghun is our small attempt to let travellers experience some of that Assam, rather than simply visit a destination,” he added.
The Visitors’ Choice recognition is particularly significant for Aaghun as it reflects the experience and feedback of its guests.
“For us, the most meaningful part of this recognition is that it is a Visitors’ Choice award. Every guest who stayed with us, wrote a review, recommended us or came back has contributed to this journey. This recognition belongs to them as much as it belongs to us,” said Gogoi.
Samadrita plays an important role in the experience at Aaghun, particularly around food and the home-based hospitality. Her background as a nutritionist has also influenced the family’s approach to food, with an emphasis on simple, local and home-cooked meals.
The couple’s approach is rooted in the belief that tourism can be built around what a destination already has – its people, homes, food, culture, landscape and everyday life. The recognition comes on World Tourism Day 2026, and adds another dimension to the growing role of homestays and community-based tourism in Assam.