Six Nations Restrict Travel to Assam, Northeast Over Law and Order Concerns

Six countries, including the USA, UK, Australia, and Switzerland, have imposed travel restrictions on their citizens against visiting Assam and the Northeast, citing law and order concerns. This was informed by Assam Tourism Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass in the Assembly on Tuesday.

Responding to a query from Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Dass stated that the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland have issued these advisories for Assam and other northeastern states.

He assured that the Assam Tourism Department, in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, is working to have these restrictions lifted. "A high-level team from Australia had recently visited Assam to look into this aspect," Dass added.

The minister also highlighted a decline in tourist footfall, reporting that while Assam saw 98,31,141 visitors in the 2022-23 fiscal, the number fell to 70,67,335 in 2023-24 and stood at 67,88,565 in 2024-25 (till January).