Arunachal festival allows visa-free movement into Myanmar through Pangsu Pass

A rare instance of cross-border movement without passports or visas drew attention at the Pangsau Pass International Festival in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, where Indian visitors were allowed to travel a short distance into Myanmar through the historic Pangsau Pass.

 

Held over three days at Nampong in Changlang district, the festival saw thousands of tourists converge at Pangsau Pass, a mountain corridor on the India–Myanmar border. Special local arrangements during the event permitted visitors to cross the international boundary without formal travel documents, highlighting long-standing cultural and people-to-people ties in the border region.

 

Addressing the gathering, Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Minister PD Sona said tourism growth depends more on people than physical assets. “Tourism does not grow with infrastructure alone. It grows with the hospitality of the people. If that fails, everything collapses,” he said, comparing the sector to a balloon that bursts with a single pin.

 

Sona stressed that personal experience and word-of-mouth publicity play a bigger role in promoting destinations than conventional advertising. He added that the area is expected to emerge as a tourism hotspot, noting that an eastern circuit guest house has already been approved by the government.

 

The festival was attended by local MLA Laisam Simai, the chief patron of the event, who was credited by speakers for sustaining and expanding the festival over the years.

 

Pangsau Pass, located in the Patkai hills, holds strategic and historical importance. During the Second World War, it formed part of the Stilwell or Ledo Road used by Allied forces, earning the nickname “Hell Gate” because of its harsh terrain. The area is also close to the so-called Lake of No Return, adding to its historical intrigue.

 

Beyond its wartime past, the annual festival has become a platform for cultural exchange between communities on both sides of the border. Traditional performances, local cuisine and exhibitions reflected the shared heritage of the Indo–Myanmar region, while also drawing attention to Arunachal Pradesh’s largely untapped tourism potential.

 

Officials said the growing scale of the Pangsau Pass International Festival underlines how cross-border culture and local hospitality can place remote regions firmly on the tourism map.