Tourism ministry proposes lifting restrictions on foreigners visiting Northeast

The Tourism ministry proposed this on May 17 at a meeting with senior Home Affairs and Defence Ministry officials.

The Tourism Ministry has proposed lifting restrictions on foreigners travelling to Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Sikkim, Minister KJ Alphons has said.

Tourists enjoy the view of snow covered hills around the Changu Lake after fresh snowfall in Sikkim on March 15, 2018. (PTI File Photo)

Foreigners now need special permits such as a Protected Areas Permit (PAP) and Restricted Areas Permit (RAP) to be able to travel in these areas.

“The ministry has proposed opening up the Northeast for tourists. In the last six months the government has opened up many restricted areas and if the plan in the Northeast works, then many more border areas can be opened up,” Alphons told PTI.

The ministry proposed this on May 17 at a meeting with senior Home Affairs and Defence Ministry officials.

Any change would be subject to the approval of the ministries because the issue related to India’s security, he said.

“The states too need to be consulted and as of now we cannot give a deadline for this. However, over the past six months we have been working very fast on this,” Alphons said.

The Tourism Ministry, he added, was also planning to propose that travel restrictions be removed from border areas in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.