Hit hard by COVID lockdown, Arunachal Pradesh plans to open its doors for tourists after October

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh is gearing up to open the state for tourists after October. Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that the state would put in place all COVID protocols before letting the tourists in. The COVID guidelines will be in line with the Centre's guidelines.

"Tourism is one major source of revenue and employment. Keeping all considerations in mind, we will be re-opening the sector. If everything goes well, after October we will be open to visitors," he said.

While attending the virtual inauguration event of 'Destination North East 2020' on Sunday, Khandu said that the tourism sector has suffered a lot in the last six months due to the pandemic and has affected the State's revenue collections and so the State government is planning to re-open its doors for the tourists keeping all the COVID protocols and considerations.

Lauding the efforts of the DoNER ministry and North East Council (NEC) for organizing the fest virtually, Khandu said that the event would boost tourism in the region to a great extent post-COVID pandemic.

He further said that in the past 6 years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Northeast has witnessed a huge push for its infrastructure development.

Khandu further seconded Dr. Jitendra Singh's statement that the North East would be the next tourism hub of post-COVID India and said that Arunachal Pradesh with its diverse culture and geography would be one of the top destinations in the coming days.

"We are committed to preserve our culture while walking the path of development. Our focus, therefore, is on pushing for tourism while keeping our culture and environment well preserved," he added.

Khandu has been promoting his state as a tourist and business destination by posting videos of him visiting remote areas of the state highlighting the beauty and serenity of Arunachal Pradesh.

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