4th North East Tourism Task Force meeting pushes unified tourism blueprint forward

This meeting builds on progress made during three earlier sessions and marked a major step toward creating a consolidated tourism roadmap for India’s North East.

Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, attended the fourth meeting of the High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on Tourism in New Delhi today. The session was chaired by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and brought together key leaders, including Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Sikkim Tourism Minister Tshering T. Bhutia, Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona, and Ministry of Tourism Joint Secretary M.R. Synrem.

This meeting builds on progress made during three earlier sessions and marked a major step toward creating a consolidated tourism roadmap for India’s North East. The discussion focused on sharpening priorities, resolving implementation barriers, and accelerating coordinated action among all participating states.

Focus on Connectivity, Infrastructure, and Investment

A central theme of the meeting was unlocking the North East’s vast and largely untapped tourism potential. Participants stressed the importance of:

• Improving multimodal connectivity through roads, railways, airports, and waterways

• Developing world-class tourism infrastructure in priority destinations

• Promoting flagship attractions with global branding potential

• Boosting adventure, eco-tourism, and homestay-based experiences rooted in local culture

The task force also examined ways to streamline policy frameworks to attract private investments and create a stable business environment.

Branding the North East as a Premier Tourism Destination

State representatives emphasized the need for unified branding of the North East as a premium tourism region. Delivering seamless travel circuits across states — supported by shared marketing, logistics, and visitor experience standards — was identified as key to positioning the region competitively at both national and global levels.

Minister Scindia underscored that the North East, often referred to as India’s cultural and ecological treasure, is uniquely placed to become a leading tourism frontier. He highlighted the importance of last-mile connectivity, sustainability-driven planning, and community-centered tourism development that generates inclusive employment.

He also encouraged the creation of an annual festival calendar showcasing traditional, spiritual, music, and tribal cultural events across all eight North Eastern states to help build consistent global visibility and tourism flow throughout the year.

Strong Cooperation and Next Steps

The HLTF on Tourism is one of eight task forces constituted earlier this year by the Ministry of DoNER, each chaired by a Chief Minister, with the Union Minister and other Chief Ministers as members.

Minister Scindia praised the quality of discussions and presentations and requested the Meghalaya government, as chair, to incorporate feedback and submit the final consolidated HLTF report for implementation.

With growing collaboration, increasing policy alignment, and strong stakeholder interest, today’s meeting is seen as a major milestone toward transforming the North East into a world-class tourism destination backed by sustainable growth and strengthened regional identity.