Raimona tourism booms: Vehicle entries jump nearly 4 times in two years

Assam's Raimona National Park has witnessed a remarkable surge in tourism, research, and conservation activities, with official Forest Department data showing that vehicle entries into the protected area have nearly quadrupled over the past two financial years.

According to the latest records, vehicle movement into the national park increased from just 490 entries in 2023-24 to 1,818 in 2025-26, reflecting the park's growing appeal as one of Northeast India's emerging eco-tourism and biodiversity destinations.

The Raimona Western Range has emerged as the busiest zone within the park, recording a cumulative 2,114 vehicle registrations by the end of the 2025-26 financial year. Forest officials said the Western Range has become the primary gateway for tourists, wildlife researchers, and conservation teams.

The increase in vehicle movement has been attributed to a steady rise in domestic and international tourist arrivals, greater academic interest in the park's unique ecosystems, and intensified anti-poaching patrols and habitat management initiatives undertaken by the Forest Department.

Declared a national park in 2021, Raimona is one of Assam's newest protected areas and is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity. The park is home to over 380 species of plants and orchids, 150 species of butterflies, and 170 species of birds. It also shelters several endangered species, including the golden langur, Asian elephant, Bengal tiger, and Indian gaur.

Forest officials view the sharp increase in visitor numbers as a positive indicator of the park's growing prominence in wildlife conservation and nature tourism. However, the surge has also highlighted the need for sustainable tourism practices to protect the fragile ecosystem.

Environmentalists have cautioned that increasing vehicular traffic must be carefully managed to prevent disturbance to the transboundary wildlife corridors that connect Raimona with neighbouring Bhutan. They stressed the importance of regulating tourism while preserving the ecological integrity of the landscape.

With visitor numbers continuing to rise, authorities are expected to strengthen sustainable tourism policies, improve visitor management, and introduce stricter vehicle regulations to ensure conservation remains at the forefront of Raimona National Park's future development.