[ Sange Tsering ]
Arunachal Pradesh is often described as India’s last great natural sanctuary. Blessed with unmatched scenic beauty, cultural diversity and one of the cleanest Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in the country, the state has steadily evolved into a destination for travellers seeking not mere recreation, but a deeper journey of soul, silence and nature.
Globally recognised destinations such as Tawang, Ziro valley, and Mechukha have already placed Arunachal firmly on the world tourism map. At the same time, emerging destinations like Anini, Shergaon, Morshing, Dirang, Mago, Aalo, Pasighat, Tezu, and Namsai are witnessing a sharp rise in tourist footfall. The places that are close to Assam witness major footfalls from mainland tourists almost every weekend.
While this growing interest signals economic opportunity, it also exposes a critical weakness in Arunachal’s tourism framework: which seems to certain extent an unregulated tourism.
The state follows a regulated entry regime: RAP (restricted area permit) and PAP (prohibited area permit) for foreign nationals, and inner line permit (ILP) for Indian tourists. However, beyond the entry point, monitoring often weakens. Many Indian tourists travel independently without guides, ignore safety advisories, violate ecological norms and disregard local administrative instructions.
The consequences have been severe, and in some cases, tragic. Repeated incidents of tourists venturing into high-altitude and sensitive zones without preparation have resulted in avoidable loss of lives, notably around Sela Lake and cases of tourists risking their lives standing in half frozen Sangetsar Lake (Madhuri Lake). The recent law and order challenges, such as the widely reported ruckus involving tourists in Anini, further underline the stress unregulated tourism places on fragile local governance systems.
As tourism expands into interior regions with limited infrastructure, such incidents are likely to multiply, rather than diminish. Tribal communities are generally hospitable and are in a learning phase when it comes to dealing with such behaviour.
Destinations like Shergaon, Dirang, Aalo, Pasighat, Tezu and Namsai now face high volumes of unmonitored tourist movement, often overwhelming local capacity in terms of policing, medical response, waste management and disaster preparedness. The ecological cost: plastic pollution, trail degradation, and pressure on water resources are becoming increasingly visible.
The core issue is clear: Arunachal cannot afford mass tourism on the plains’ model. Its geography is fragile, its infrastructure limited and its cultural ecosystems deeply sensitive. What the state needs is not more tourists, but better and manageable tourists.
This is where lessons from successful high-value tourism models become relevant. Neighbouring country Bhutan follows a globally acclaimed high value, low volume tourism policy, ensuring that tourism contributes meaningfully to national revenue while preserving culture and environment.
Similarly, Sikkim has moved towards regulated tourism through permit controls, environmental fees and restrictions in ecologically sensitive areas, ensuring sustainability without sacrificing livelihoods.
Arunachal must now adopt a comparable approach. One possible reform is to make it mandatory for tourists, especially in remote and sensitive regions, to travel through registered tour operators or certified local guides. Independent travel may still be permitted, but at a significantly higher entry or environmental fee, the proceeds of which can be reinvested into infrastructure, safety and specially the waste management and local capacity building.
High-value tourism does not imply exclusion or elitism. Rather, it ensures responsible travel, informed visitors, controlled numbers, respect for local customs, and fair economic returns for indigenous communities. It strengthens local entrepreneurship while reducing chaos, conflict and environmental damage.
Arunachal today stands at a critical crossroads. If corrective steps are delayed, unchecked tourism risks eroding the very beauty and tranquillity that attract visitors in the first place. The transition from free tourism to high-value, sustainable tourism is no longer a matter of choice; it is an urgent necessity. No doubt that tourism is the need of time, but not at the cost of our priceless nature and dignity. The time to act is now, before growth turns irreversible and opportunity becomes loss. (The contributor is a PhD research scholar at NERIST, Nirjuli)
