Mizoram Tourism Sees Rise in Visitors in 2023, Americans Top Foreign Tourist List

The Mizoram state Tourism department reported that in the year 2023, over 196,000 tourists, including foreigners, visited the northeastern state. Out of this total, 193,445 were domestic tourists, while 3,435 were foreigners, according to official figures released by the department.

Americans led the list of foreign tourists visiting the northeastern state, with 1,162 visitors, according to the Tourism department. Additionally, tourists from countries such as Japan, Australia, Israel, Canada, and the United Kingdom also visited Mizoram last year. The total tourist count for 2022-23 exceeded 2.22 lakh, with 2.18 lakh being domestic tourists and 3,551 being foreigners.

According to a report of PTI, the tourist footfall in the state was minimal during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was 20,564 in 2020-21 and 1.32 lakh in 2021-22. Mizoram tourism is making headway with a 'responsible' tourism policy that came into force in August 2020. The 'responsible' tourism policy envisages a sustainable development strategy, coordination, strengthening institutional framework and skill development.

The policy also places on utilizing tourism as a means for the development of villages and local communities, aiming to eliminate poverty and offer sustainable livelihoods for the local population, all while maintaining principles of economic, social, and environmental responsibility. In the past, foreigners had to obtain Protected Area Permit (PAP) from the Union Home Ministry in order to travel to Mizoram.