Protected area permits: Centre simplifies rules to draw foreigners to NE

The Centre is easing the paperwork that foreign tourists need to visit large parts of the North East, officials said at the 14th International Tourism Mart (ITM), which concluded in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, on Friday.

Five of the region's eight states, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, are wholly or partly protected areas for foreign nationals, who need special permits to enter. The Indian Express reported that the permit regime was one of the main themes of the mart.

What is changing

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) ran a technical session on access to protected and restricted areas, with representatives from all eight states.

According to Tourism Ministry officials, several reforms are already being put in place. Foreigners can apply for permits online, either through an Indian diplomatic mission before they travel or through a Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Offline applications can still be filed directly in the host state.

Permits will also no longer be limited to particular tourist circuits or spots, officials said. Visitors will be able to move around freely within the approved zones.

Mizoram tourism officials said permits for tourists are generally issued for 60 days, while non-tourism permits run for 180 days and can be extended to a year in some cases.

Security caveats stay

Officials stressed that the bona fide purpose of travel would still be verified. Hotels and travel agents must comply with reporting rules, including filing Form-III reports with registration officers, and the permits do not cover defence, paramilitary or other sensitive installations, which need separate clearance.

Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat called for a calibrated approach, saying that while tourism was a priority, national security and strategic concerns in the region had to be kept in mind. Tour operators at the mart pointed to the untapped potential of Buddhist tourism in Arunachal, the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama.

Why it matters

Despite a sharp rise in visitors, foreigners remain a sliver of the region's tourism. Of the roughly 1.5 crore tourists recorded across the eight states, only about 1.5 lakh, or 1 per cent, were foreign nationals, according to official data cited in the report.

The Manipur government has separately asked the Centre to relax permit rules for tourists of Indian origin. The Tawang mart, held in Arunachal for the first time in 13 years, drew buyers from 22 countries.