CAA Row: Sikkim Witnesses 70 % Decline in Tourism amid Protests across NE

Gangtok, December 23, 2019:

Sikkim tourism has witnessed a slump amid the rising protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the past few days, informed tour operators. The Gangtok-based operators said that the state has witnessed a decline of 70 percent in the footfall in this season due to the prevailing law & order situation in the entire Northeast region.

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Although the state has not yet reported any intense movement or agitation against the CAA, tourists have been cancelling their trips to Sikkim following violence in other parts of Northeast, informed the tour operators.

They said that there were many cancellations citing the ‘unrest’. International tourists are also facing a huge problem due to their linked flights.

The operators also shared the major market is now being held by the Bangladeshi tourists in Gangtok. Earlier, there was a ban in the entry of Bangladeshi tourists but after the ban was lifted, a good number of Bengali tourists started pouring in.

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The heart of the town, MG Marg that earlier witnessed 70 per cent tourists and 30 per cent locals, now witnessed only 40 per cent tourists, despite Christmas and snowfall which is a major attraction of tourists for in Sikkim.

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