The Centre has relaxed the Protected Area Regime (PAR) for the 10-day Hornbill Festival that begins on Monday in Nagaland.

Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio had written to Union home minister Amit Shah on November 28, urging “immediate action” on clearing Protected Area Permit (PAP) applications for foreign delegates attending the state’s flagship tourism event. The ruling NDPP is an ally of the BJP.

An official statement said the ministry of home affairs (MHA) informed the state government on Saturday about the relaxation. It added that the state had made several appeals for easing the regime over the past year, including Rio’s letter to the Union minister a day earlier.

Under PAR, foreign tourists must obtain PAPs to visit specified protected areas. The regime was reintroduced in Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur in December 2023 owing to security concerns.

In a post on X, Rio said he was grateful to the Centre and urged the MHA to consider a “permanent relaxation” to boost tourism and global engagement.

This year’s festival will feature partner countries including the UK, Ireland, Austria, France, Malta and Switzerland. The 2024 edition saw a 33.7 per cent rise in footfall over 2023, drawing 2,05,968 visitors and generating over ₹100 crore on an
investment of ₹6.5 crore. Foreign tourist arrivals increased from 2,108 to 2,375, while domestic arrivals rose from 37,089 to 56,217.

Rio has invited former chief ministers S.C. Jamir, K.L. Chishi and Shurhozelie Liezietsu for Statehood Day on Monday and for the festival’s inaugural programme
at Kisama.

ILP facilitation

To facilitate visitor entry, tourist information and ILP facilitation centres have been set up at Dimapur Airport and near the railway and bus stations.