EU removes negative travel advisory for Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- The European Union has removed its negative travel advisory for Assam, India.
- Assam's Chief Minister expressed optimism that this will boost tourism and investment.
- The advisory remains in place for three districts where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is still active.
Assam's Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, announced that the European Union (EU) has lifted its negative travel advisory for the northeastern Indian state. Sarma stated that this decision is expected to significantly increase the inflow of tourists from the 27 EU member states.
Encouraging news for Assam. After Australia and Japan, now EU member states have revised their travel advisories and removed restrictive guidance for their citizens visiting the state.
Sarma shared the encouraging news on social media, highlighting that following similar moves by Australia and Japan, the EU's revision of travel guidance signals a positive step for Assam. He expressed gratitude to the EU Ambassador to India, Herve Delphin, for his support in facilitating this development, which followed a recent visit by an EU delegation to explore trade and investment opportunities.
The chief minister urged local entrepreneurs to focus on providing a comprehensive tourist experience, including homestays and showcasing Assam's diverse culture and cuisine. He noted that while the state has five-star hotels, EU visitors often seek different kinds of experiences.
This timely development, following the recent visit of EU diplomats, is a strong vote of confidence in Assam and bodes well for deeper EU-Assam engagement...
Efforts are also underway to persuade the United States and Canada to remove their restrictive travel advisories for Assam. However, the advisory will continue to apply to three specific districts, Charaideo, Sibsagar, and Dibrugarh, where the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act remains in effect.
We have five-star hotels in the state. But tourists from the EU would come looking for different kinds of experiences and we should be ready to provide them that.
Originally published by Hindustan Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.