Tourist footfall surges in Mizoram, hotels packed: Min

Aizawl: Tourist footfall during the year-end festivities has surged in Mizoram this year, with many visitors joining locals in Christmas celebrations at different churches of Aizawl and participating in Christmas community feasts. All hotels and homestays were packed with tourists, state tourism minister Lalnghinglova Hmar said on Friday.Hmar told TOI that owners of homestays and hotels, whose accommodations were completely full, contacted other establishments to find available rooms for tourists. He said some hostels, whose inmates have gone to their villages for Christmas celebrations, have also been converted into homestays to accommodate tourists who could not get accommodations.“A number of tourists attended Christmas services at local churches in Aizawl, with some church leaders even reading out greetings to the tourists. More than 30 tourists attended the church service on Christmas day at the Presbyterian Church in the Dawrpui locality of Aizawl,” Hmar said.He said many of them also participated in the community feasts organised at different localities in Aizawl and later visited tourist spots such as peaks in Reiek village and Sakawrhmuituai as well as the Solomon’s Temple of the ‘Holy Church’ at the Chawlhhmun neighbourhood on the western outskirts of Aizawl.State tourism director R Lalrodingi said the tourist footfalls in the state from April to Oct was 4,48,028, including 7,346 international tourists. The number of foreign tourists is lower due to the re-imposition of the Protected Area Permit (PAP) by the central govt since Dec last year.Lalrodingi said due to a number of events being organised by the department during Nov and Dec, the number of tourists visiting the state during Nov could not be provided. However, it is known that more tourists visit the state during the winter season.More tourists have visited the state, especially after the train services between Sairang on the outskirts of Aizawl have become available with Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi following the inauguration of the Sairang railway station and newly constructed railway line between Bairabi and Sairang on Sept 13.