Assam govt in touch with envoys on ‘restricted’ travel advisories for NE: Himanta

Kaziranga (Assam), Nov 27 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that his government is in touch with envoys of various countries to change the perception about the Northeast as many nations issue travel advisories putting the region under “restricted” category.

He also asserted that the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur has not impacted the tourism sector in the other seven states of the Northeast.

Supporting him, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a joint press meet after inaugurating the 12th International Tourism Mart (ITM) here, urged the media to break the “false narrative created with bad intent”.

Sarma claimed that barring a few incidents, most of the northeastern states have been free from any militancy or law and order issues.

“Assam has not witnessed any violence for the last 4-5 years. But, many countries’ advisories put the Northeast under a restricted category. We are in constant touch with the embassies because perception is very important. Management of perception is an important issue for bringing foreign tourists,” he told reporters.

He said the state government keeps inviting ambassadors of various countries to change their perception and the Centre is also helping a lot in this process.

“I guess it will take some more time to change the perception… Countries like US and Japan have put some kind of question mark for their citizens visiting the Northeast. So, perception management is a big issue before we can get foreign tourist footfall in the state and the region,” he added.

The CM said that Assam witnessed 10 lakh tourist inflow in the last one year, including 27,700 foreigners.

Shekhawat said, “That is another reason to hold the 12th ITM here. I have a strong belief that people coming here will write positive things after having witnessed the beauty and peace, and development work. I wish and request all the bloggers to showcase this event and write down in your platform what you have experienced here. This will help change the perception.”