Nagaland ranks 2nd least visited State in NE: Tourism Ministry report

Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 28

Nagaland continued to remain one of the least visited states in the North-East despite a marginal rise in tourist inflows in 2024, according to the 66th edition of the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025.

Released by the Union Ministry of Tourism on World Tourism Day, September 27, the report highlighted that Nagaland registered a total of 1.32 lakh tourist arrivals in 2024. 

This included 1.26 lakh domestic tourist visits (DTVs) and 0.06 lakh foreign tourist visits (FTVs), up from 1.05 lakh arrivals in 2023 (1.00 lakh DTVs and 0.05 lakh FTVs). 

The figures represented a year-on-year increase of 25.87% in domestic and 19.01% in foreign arrivals.

Thus, Nagaland was ranked second lowest in overall arrivals in the region, ahead only of crisis-hit Manipur, which recorded 0.32 lakh arrivals in 2024 following a steep decline from 2023. 

For domestic visitors, Nagaland’s 1.26 lakh arrivals again placed it second from the bottom, ahead of Manipur (0.29 lakh).

By contrast, Assam dominated with over 76 lakh domestic arrivals in both 2023 and 2024, accounting for more than 60% of the region’s total inflow. 

Meghalaya (15.86 lakh) and Sikkim (15.40 lakh) continued to attract large numbers of domestic visitors, while Mizoram doubled its domestic arrivals from 2.09 lakh to 4.22 lakh.

Nagaland’s position was slightly better in foreign arrivals, ranking fifth among the eight NE states. 

At around 6000 FTVs in 2024, it surpassed Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram (0.05 lakh each) but lagged far behind Sikkim (0.85 lakh) and Tripura (0.91 lakh). Assam and Meghalaya recorded 27,000 and 23,000 foreign visitors respectively.

Accordingly, Nagaland’s contribution at the national level was minimal, accounting for no significant share in domestic totals and just 0.03% of foreign tourist arrivals in 2024.

A one-month affair?
Based on data from the respective States and Union Territories, the Union Ministry’s compendium, when analysed alongside state-level figures—particularly the Annual Administrative Report 2023–24 of the Nagaland Tourism Department—provides a more holistic picture. Monthly data from the Department indicate that the tourism sector remains heavily dependent on the Hornbill Festival, held annually from December 1–10.

During the 2024 edition of the festival, the state recorded 56,217 domestic and 2527 foreign visitors in just 10 day, more than double the rest of December combined (23,591 DTVs and 505 FTVs).
Overall, 63% of Nagaland’s 2024 arrivals were concentrated in December. 

Between January and November, the State recorded just 48,299 tourist arrivals (around 37% of the annual total), averaging 4,390 visitors per month.  Monthly inflows outside December remained modest, typically ranging between 2,456–7,005 domestic visitors and 122–535 foreign visitors, indicating a monthly average of 4,156 and 236 respectively. 

Small peaks were observed in March (4,979 domestic, 221 foreign) and November (7,005 domestic, 535 foreign). The Tourism Department data also indicated a higher propensity of visitors during colder months (September–March).

Other key highlights 
At the national level, the Ministry reported record international and domestic arrivals in 2024, alongside significant employment generation and economic contributions.

For domestic visits, the top five states were Uttar Pradesh (646.81 million; 21.94%), Tamil Nadu (306.84 million; 10.41%), Karnataka (304.56 million; 10.33%), Andhra Pradesh (290.27 million; 9.85%), and Rajasthan (230.08 million; 7.80%). Together, they accounted for over 60% of the total domestic inflow.

For foreign visits, Maharashtra (3.70 million; 17.69%), West Bengal (3.12 million; 14.92%), Uttar Pradesh (2.27 million; 10.83%), Gujarat (2.27 million; 10.86%), and Rajasthan (2.07 million; 9.90%) led the list, collectively attracting 64.34% of India’s total foreign arrivals.

India recorded 20.57 million International Tourist Arrivals in 2024 — comprising 9.95 million foreign tourists and 10.62 million non-resident Indians — ranking 20th globally. The sector generated revenue of around $35.016 billion (Rs 2,93,033 crore), the compendium noted.

Among monuments, the Taj Mahal, Agra, topped the list with 6.26 million domestic visitors in 2024, followed by the Sun Temple (3.57 million), Qutub Minar (3.20 million), Red Fort (2.88 million), and Bibi Ka Maqbara (2 million).

For foreign visitors, the Taj Mahal again led with 0.64 million, followed by Agra Fort and Qutub Minar (0.22 million each), Humayun’s Tomb (0.15 million), and the Baori at Abhaneri (0.11 million).

Globally, International Tourist Arrivals in 2024 stood at 1,465 million. France retained the top spot with 102 million arrivals, followed by Spain (89 million), the United States (66.5 million).

The international tourism receipts stood at around $1,731 billion in 2024.