Mizoram leads Northeast in tourist visits while Manipur falls: Report

Northeast India's tourism sector presents a tale of contrasts, with some states posting impressive growth while others face significant challenges in attracting both domestic and foreign visitors, according to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025.

Mizoram emerged as the standout performer among northeastern states, recording a remarkable growth of 101.74 per cent in domestic tourist visits, jumping from 0.209 million visitors in 2023 to 0.422 million in 2024. The state also saw foreign tourist arrivals surge by 44.22 per cent, though from a modest base of 4,000 to 5,000 visitors.

However, this growth story wasn't uniform across the region. Manipur experienced a steep decline, with domestic tourist visits plummeting by 49.56 per cent from 58,000 in 2023 to just 29,000 in 2024. Foreign tourist arrivals also dropped by 31.35 per cent, highlighting the ongoing challenges facing the state's tourism sector.

Meghalaya showed positive momentum with domestic tourist visits growing 13.04% to reach 1.586 million, while foreign arrivals increased by 15.24 per cent to 23,000 visitors. Nagaland also posted healthy gains, with domestic tourism up 25.87 per cent to 126,000 visitors and foreign arrivals rising 19.01 per cent.

Tripura recorded substantial growth in domestic tourism, with visits increasing 64.07 per cent to 601,000, though foreign tourist arrivals grew at a more modest 36.15 per cent to 91,000 visitors.

Among the larger northeastern states, Assam remained relatively stable with domestic tourist visits declining marginally by 0.06 per cent to 7.608 million, while foreign arrivals increased by 14.07 per cent to 27,000. The state maintained its position as the region's tourism leader, accounting for 0.26 per cent of India's total domestic tourist visits.

Arunachal Pradesh faced headwinds with domestic visits falling 16.40 per cent to 870,000, though it managed a slight increase in foreign tourists. Sikkim, popular among international visitors, saw domestic tourism grow 16.60 per cent to 1.540 million, though foreign arrivals dipped by 9.68 per cent.

Nationally, the northeastern states' combined share remains modest, with the region collectively attracting less than 1% of India's total domestic and foreign tourist visits. This underscores the untapped potential of the region, which offers diverse cultural experiences, pristine landscapes, and unique biodiversity.

The data reveals that while traditional tourism powerhouses like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka continue to dominate with their historical attractions and established infrastructure, the northeastern states are gradually finding their footing in India's tourism landscape, though progress remains uneven across the region.