Nagaland experiencing steady growth of tourists

Nagaland has emerged as a highly desirable tourist destination in Northeast India

DIMAPUR — Nagaland has emerged as a highly desirable tourist destination in Northeast India, known for its vibrant culture, diverse tribal communities, and captivating festivals.

Corroborated with the removal of the yearly Protected Area Permit (PAP), tourism in Nagaland has experienced significant growth and has become a promising sector. The state is now sharing its tourism potential with other regions within the country and even the world, showcasing the allure of Nagaland to a wider audience.

Union minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), G Kishan Reddy, on April 7 stated in Rajya Sabha that India received 6.19 million foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) during 2022 as compare to 1.52 million during the same period of 2021.

And basing on the Nagaland Economic Survey 2022-2023, Nagaland received a total of 97,431 domestic tourists and 2,923 foreign tourists in the year 2022, while as per the provisional data from the Ministry of Tourism, government of India, the North Eastern States collectively welcomed 118.45 lakh domestic tourists and 1.04 lakh foreign tourists in the same year.

According to the India Tourism Statistics 2022 report, Nagaland received a total of 23,968 domestic tourists and 325 foreign tourists in the year 2021 which represented a significant growth rate of 118.31% for domestic tourists compared to the 10,979 domestic tourists recorded in 2020. However, there was a declining trend for foreign tourists with a negative growth rate of 37.26% in 2021, as only 325 foreign tourists visited Nagaland in 2021 as compared to 518 foreign tourists in 2020.

In comparison to Northeaster states, Nagaland had the lowest number of tourist visitors in 2021 with 23,968 domestic tourists and 325 foreign tourists. Assam recorded the highest number of domestic tourists with 1,409,161 visitors and 536 foreign tourists followed by Sikkim with 511,669 domestic tourists and 11,508 foreign tourists, Tripura with 177,816 domestic tourists and 5 foreign tourists, Meghalaya received 154,409 domestic tourists and 411 foreign tourists, Mizoram recorded 87232 domestic and 234 foreign visitors and Manipur with 49371 domestic and 648 foreign tourist visitors in 2021.

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In 2021, the top five states in terms of domestic tourist visits were Tamil Nadu with 115.33 million visitors, Uttar Pradesh with 109.70 million visitors, Andhra Pradesh with 93.27 million visitors, Karnataka with 81.33 million visitors, and Maharashtra with 43.56 million visitors. The five states collectively accounted for approximately 65.41% of the total domestic tourist visits in the country.

In 2021, the top five states/ union territories in terms of the number of foreign tourist visits were Punjab with 3,08,135 visitors, Maharashtra with 1,85,643 visitors, Delhi with 1,00,178 visitors, Karnataka with 72,487 visitors, and Kerala with 60,487 visitors.