The ongoing unrest in Bangladesh is negatively impacting tourism in Sikkim, which had just started recovering from last year’s natural disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, the Indian government allowed Bangladeshi nationals to visit Sikkim, leading to a boom in tourism. Sikkim, with its snow-covered mountains, became a popular destination for Bangladeshi tourists, as it is the nearest Himalayan location for them to visit.
In 2019, a year after the policy change, Sikkim saw 1.33 lakh foreign tourists, with 60,542 visitors from Bangladesh and 56,781 from Nepal, according to the state’s tourism department.
Though tourism in Sikkim was severely impacted by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in October 2023, the number of Bangladeshi tourists remained unaffected, with 40,597 visiting that year. However, the current unrest in Bangladesh has caused a significant drop. Only 27,126 Bangladeshi tourists visited Sikkim until October 2024.
Tourists from Bangladesh and Nepal make up the majority of foreign visitors to Sikkim. The decision by hoteliers in Siliguri and Malda not to accommodate Bangladeshi nationals, due to reports of minority persecution in Bangladesh, is further hurting Sikkim’s tourism.
A hotel owner in Gangtok, Sikkim’s capital, explained that many Bangladeshi tourists usually stay in Siliguri for a day before traveling to Sikkim. However, the ongoing crisis and the Indian government’s visa restrictions have led to fewer tourists, meaning the winter season will be much slower than usual.
The unrest in Bangladesh has also affected Darjeeling, as many Bangladeshi visitors usually visit both Sikkim and Darjeeling together.
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