Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the Lok Sabha on August 10 that the Ministry of Tourism is running a coordinated, multi-pronged strategy to boost tourism across all eight Northeastern states — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim — combining new subsidised air routes, river-cruise infrastructure on the Brahmaputra, and a streamlined homestay and accommodation registration framework.
The reply set out a strategy that moves beyond conventional destination marketing, instead pairing digital promotion with concrete physical infrastructure — new flight routes, cruise terminals, and simplified accommodation rules meant to bring more small, locally-run tourism businesses into a formal, registered ecosystem.
Background
The Northeast has long been positioned by the Centre as an under-tapped tourism frontier, held back historically by limited air connectivity, patchy river and road infrastructure, and an unregulated, informal homestay sector that made it difficult for tourists to find consistent quality and for hosts to access formal support. The Ministry of Tourism's push detailed in the Lok Sabha reply builds on several years of incremental work, including the annual International Tourism Mart held in the Northeast since 2013, and represents an attempt to bring air connectivity, waterway infrastructure, and accommodation regulation together under one coordinated push rather than as separate, disconnected schemes.
A parallel and complementary move came from the Assam Cabinet, which approved the Assam Tourism Accommodation (Development and Registration) Rules, 2026 — a single-window registration system covering hotels, resorts, motels, guest houses, lodges, service apartments, homestays, tented accommodation and heritage hotels, with registrations valid for three years and automatically renewable. This state-level framework operates alongside the Ministry of Tourism's own Incredible India Homestay Scheme, a voluntary Silver/Gold/Diamond classification overlay that homestay owners can opt into once registered under their state's mandatory legal framework.
Key Details
Under the RCS-UDAN scheme, extended through Viability Gap Funding via the Champion Service Sector Scheme, the following Northeast routes have now been designated as Tourism RCS routes:
- Dibrugarh-Dimapur and Dimapur-Dibrugarh
- Dimapur-Imphal and Imphal-Dimapur
- Agartala-Aizawl and Aizawl-Agartala
- Dibrugarh-Imphal and Imphal-Dibrugarh
- Hollongi-Guwahati and Guwahati-Hollongi
These routes are intended to connect the region's key tourist gateways to one another directly, rather than routing NER travellers through longer connections via metro hubs outside the region.
On waterways, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is developing new cruise terminals along the Brahmaputra at Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Neamati and Guijan — expanding the river's embarkation and disembarkation points for the growing Brahmaputra cruise tourism segment. The two terminal projects at Biswanath Ghat and Neamati alone carry a combined investment of Rs 158 crore, with construction work reported to have commenced from March 13. IWAI, working with the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, is also developing navigational lighthouses at Pandu, Silghat, Biswanath and Bogibeel, with geotechnical investigations and designs already completed for these. Biswanath Ghat sits directly opposite Kaziranga National Park and is home to a community of weavers, fishermen, farmers and boat-makers, while Neamati Ghat functions as the principal gateway to Majuli, the world's largest river island, known for its Vaishnavite monasteries and Mising and Deori tribal communities.
On accommodation, the Assam Cabinet's 2026 Rules create a single-window registration system intended to cut regulatory delays and formalise the homestay sector specifically — a segment the Ministry's own national strategy has separately flagged as central to authentic, community-based tourism experiences in the region.
At a Glance
| Initiative | Investment / Scope | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| RCS-UDAN Tourism Routes | 10 NER routes designated (5 route-pairs) | Direct air connectivity between NER tourist hubs |
| Biswanath Ghat & Neamati cruise terminals | Rs 158 crore combined | New embarkation points for Brahmaputra river cruises |
| Additional cruise terminals | Silghat, Guijan (under development) | Expand river-cruise network across Assam |
| Navigational lighthouses | Pandu, Silghat, Biswanath, Bogibeel | Safety infrastructure for river cruise/cargo traffic |
| Assam Tourism Accommodation Rules 2026 | Single-window, 3-year renewable registration | Formalise hotels, homestays, heritage properties statewide |
Local Impact
For residents of riverside villages like Biswanath Ghat, cruise terminal development means a direct link into the tourism economy for communities whose livelihoods currently centre on weaving, farming, fishing and boat-making — an opportunity to diversify income through hospitality, guiding and craft sales as cruise passenger traffic increases. For Majuli's Mising and Deori communities, better terminal infrastructure at Neamati Ghat could ease the island's chronic accessibility challenges, a long-standing constraint on tourism to what is already one of Assam's most culturally significant destinations.
The new RCS-UDAN tourism routes stand to particularly benefit smaller regional hubs like Dimapur, Aizawl and Agartala, giving travellers direct connections between destinations that currently often require indirect routing, potentially shortening trip planning for multi-state Northeast itineraries. Meanwhile, Assam's single-window accommodation registration is likely to matter most to small, family-run homestay operators, for whom navigating multiple regulatory approvals has historically been a bigger barrier to formal registration than the underlying cost of compliance itself.
What Happens Next
Construction on the Biswanath Ghat and Neamati cruise terminals is underway following the March 13 start date, with completion timelines to be watched closely given their role in expanding the Brahmaputra cruise circuit. The designated RCS-UDAN tourism routes will depend on airline uptake under the Viability Gap Funding mechanism to translate from policy designation into actual scheduled flights. On the regulatory side, the rollout of Assam's single-window registration system under the 2026 Rules is expected to be tested by how many existing informal homestays actually come forward to register under the new, simplified process in the months ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Union Tourism Minister tell the Lok Sabha about the Northeast?
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat outlined a coordinated strategy combining new RCS-UDAN air routes, Brahmaputra cruise terminal development, and accommodation registration reforms to boost tourism across all eight Northeastern states.
Which new air routes have been designated for Northeast tourism?
Ten routes (five route-pairs) have been designated as Tourism RCS routes: Dibrugarh-Dimapur, Dimapur-Imphal, Agartala-Aizawl, Dibrugarh-Imphal, and Hollongi-Guwahati, along with their return legs.
What cruise terminals are being built on the Brahmaputra?
New terminals are under development at Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Neamati and Guijan, with the Biswanath Ghat and Neamati projects together carrying an investment of Rs 158 crore.
Why is Neamati Ghat significant for tourism?
Neamati Ghat serves as the main gateway to Majuli, the world's largest river island, known for its Vaishnavite monasteries and Mising and Deori tribal communities.
What is the Assam Tourism Accommodation Rules 2026?
It is a new regulatory framework approved by the Assam Cabinet that creates a single-window registration system for hotels, resorts, homestays, heritage properties and other accommodation types, with registrations valid for three years and automatically renewable.
What is the Incredible India Homestay Scheme?
It is the Ministry of Tourism's voluntary Silver/Gold/Diamond classification overlay for homestays, which operates alongside each state's own mandatory homestay registration framework, such as Assam's 2026 Rules.
What lighthouse infrastructure is being developed alongside the cruise terminals?
The Inland Waterways Authority of India, with the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, is developing navigational lighthouses at Pandu, Silghat, Biswanath and Bogibeel to support safe river cruise and cargo traffic on the Brahmaputra.
Sources
NE India Broadcast; EventFAQs India; Travel Turtle; The Arunachal Times; The Sentinel Assam; Assam Tribune.