IT is reported that foreign tourists are coming in droves to the seven Northeastern states and Sikkim drawn by the mystique of the region. Lack of luxury does not put them off. What drives them is their wanderlust. According to the latest tourism ministry figures, the number of foreigners making a beeline for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura has gone up phenomenally in the past one year. Manipur has registered an increase of over 154%. Arunachal Pradesh, India’s Orchid Paradise, has notched up a 111.2% rise. Overall, the increase has been 27.9% adding Sikkim to the seven states.
The jump in the number of foreign tourists visiting the Northeast has been ascribed to the government’s relaxation of inline permit norms. That means that the protected area permit that foreigners needed to enter Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland is no longer necessary. Restrictions still apply to Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Sikkim. But the tourism department has simplified the procedure. Permits can be obtained within a day. The Northeast offers unique identities and a bio-diversity that fascinate foreigners. They do not look for five star luxury and sometimes even stay with local residents. They want to walk through the paddy fields and savour the flavour of tribal culture. All they want are clean washrooms and good roads. In its 2014 budget, the tourism ministry has set aside 10% of its plan allocation for the Northeast to provide the minimum necessities for foreign tourists. The lifting of protected area permits for Mizoram, a border state, has however caused a controversy.
