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Improved infrastructure and air connectivity are drawing a large number of tourists to India’s north-eastern States and, looking at the current traction, footfalls in the picturesque region are expected to grow 10-12 per cent in 2019, industry experts said.
“The bookings for North-East have gone up by 18 per cent compared to the same period (April-June) last year.
Tourism in the North-East region is expected to grow by at least 10-12 per cent even in the next year,” said Karan Anand, Cox & Kings’ head of relationships.
He said improved infrastructure and air connectivity have played a major role in driving tourism growth in the vast region which consists of eight States.
“Air connectivity has tremendously improved with new routes opening in the region last year. New flights have been introduced using Shillong as a hub to travel to other prominent tourist destinations of Meghalaya like Cherrapunji and Mawlynnong.
“The new airport at Pakyong (Sikkim) will further make reaching the northern part of the State, especially to tourist attractions such as Nathu La Pass, easier,” Anand added.
The region is mostly preferred by holiday-makers, aged between 25 and 50, and hailing from metros such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, besides Guwahati and nearby areas, who flock there to explore the region’s wildlife, rivers and culture, he said.
However, the second or third-time travellers, who are now discovering the attractions of the North-East, embark on their journey to understand the lifestyle, the culture and the cuisine of the region, he added.
Echoing a similar view, a MakeMyTrip spokesperson said high growth of travellers opting for the North-East sector can be attributed to not only better road infrastructure and rail connectivity, but also to direct flight connectivity from New Delhi and Mumbai.
“Apart from this, more number of hotels are opening up in this region, making it easier for travellers to find accommodations in places which were earlier not very connected.
“At MakeMyTrip, we have seen over 100 per cent growth in the number of travellers opting for North-East destinations such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalya since the time we started offering holiday packages in the region,” he added.
He said overall, the sector, including Darjeeling, is growing by 35 per cent for summer travel. The MMT platform has witnessed 30 per cent growth in travel bookings to Gangtok, 120 per cent each to Shillong and Meghalaya.
The Assam-Meghalaya sector is increasingly becoming popular among the top metro markets, the MMT spokesman said.
Manmeet Ahluwalia, marketing head of Brand Expedia in India, said that for a very long period the north-eastern part of the country had been largely unexplored due to poor connectivity and infrastructure.
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