Guwahati: In a concerning development, six countries, including the USA, UK, Australia, and Switzerland, have imposed travel advisories for their citizens against visiting Assam and other northeastern states, citing law and order issues. This announcement was made by Assam Tourism Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass in the Assembly on Tuesday, in response to a query from Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed.
The countries involved in the travel restrictions include the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland. These advisories have raised concerns within the tourism sector, especially as they coincide with a noticeable decline in tourist arrivals to the region.
Dass assured the Assembly that the Assam Tourism Department, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, is actively working to have these travel restrictions lifted. “A high-level team from Australia had recently visited Assam to look into this aspect,” the minister added, emphasizing ongoing efforts to address the concerns of the international community.
The minister further pointed out a significant drop in the number of visitors to the state. Assam saw 98,31,141 tourists in the 2022-23 fiscal year, but the number dropped to 70,67,335 in 2023-24, with the figure standing at 67,88,565 in 2024-25 until January. The decline in tourist footfall has raised alarms among local stakeholders, who hope for a swift resolution to the advisory issue.
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