Nearly all of India will welcome tourists from October

Source: CN Traveller

If you have been down with cabin fever, here’s some relief. Most Indian states are emerging through the haze of lockdowns and unlocks and now welcoming tourists. Hotels and homestays are back in business, with strict health protocols. E-passes are nearly gone. Flights to major destinations in India are back and most tourist attractions are reopening. Here’s a quick round-up in case you are finally ready to venture beyond your pincode.

Ready and waiting

Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka have already started taking tourists with very minimal restrictions, if at all. Uttarakhand is even willing to pay for a room-night if you come visiting. Rajasthan hotels have been open for a few months now. Madhya Pradesh has rolled out workation programmes, in case your boss feels you are indispensable. Next door, nearly all tourist attractions in Agra, Uttar Pradesh are now fully open—including the Taj Mahal.

Maharashtra is unlocking cautiously: hotels and homestays are back in business and the state has also launched a campervan rental programme. The state’s premier tiger reserve in Tadoba reopens on 1 October, with a new set of rules.

The forests of West Bengal reopened to tourists on 23 September after an extended closure. While these forests are locked down every year for two months during the monsoon—from 15 July to 15 September—this year, they have been out of bounds for tourists since March. Darjeeling, the state’s favourite hill-station, is also now accepting visitors.

Tamil Nadu’s state of lockdown continues till October, but its hill-stations are open, with some exceptions. The Union Territory of Puducherry is also taking visitors and the Himalayan heights of Ladakh are also open (here’s what it is to holiday there right now). Even the Andaman & Nicobar islands have restarted some tourist activities. As a result, flights from the mainland will increase to 14 per week from now. Kerala was expected to reopen its tourist experiences in September or October, but there is no word on it yet.

Tourist places opening in October in India

Most of India’s eastern states will start welcoming tourists at some point in October.

Odisha has decided to open up the beaches of Puri and Gopalpur, temples of Bhubaneswar and Konark, Chilka Lake and other experiences to tourists from October, though it has yet to announce a date. The government has launched the ‘Odisha by Road’ campaign to urge travellers to explore the state’s tourist circuit by road.

Sikkim will reopen to tourists from 10 October. The state government has allowed hotels, homestays and other tourism-related services to resume operations and will also open the state border with West Bengal for unrestricted travel by road from 1 October. Bookings for hotels and homestays resumed from 27 September. Inner Line Permits for foreign tourists with valid visas shall be issued from 10 October.

Tripura will also reopen all tourist spots in the state from 1 October. To promote tourism, the state will construct a helipad near the popular Dumbur Lake in the Chabimura region, famous for its rock carvings along the River Gomti. The tourism department has introduced water scooters as well as floating jetty and speed boat services at Dumbur Lake.

The chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu has indicated that the state will reopen for tourists after October, given how crucial tourism is to the local economy.

In short, most of India is open for tourists. But remember that there are strict rules in place—masks are mandatory everywhere you go; physical distancing is obligatory and the need to respect local sensitivities and concerns is now more than ever.