Northeast
Centre and Sikkim tourist figures differ by over 11 lakh visits
A written Lok Sabha reply cited far higher domestic arrivals for Sikkim than the state's own tourism records show.
By Editorial Desk ยท 12 August 2026
Tourist arrival figures for Sikkim released by the Union Ministry of Tourism do not match the state's own data, with a difference of more than 11.18 lakh domestic visits for 2026. The gap came to light after a written reply in the Lok Sabha on 10 August.
In that reply, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat cited 23,52,725 domestic visits and 43,734 foreign visits to Sikkim in 2026, and said the numbers came from the state. The state Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, however, recorded 12,34,325 domestic visits from January to June, and 13,06,114 up to July. For foreign tourists, state data shows 32,618 visits in the first six months.
Officials question the numbers
State officials, speaking without being named, said the Union ministry had not asked for these figures before the Lok Sabha discussion. One official said the state compiles its data daily and monthly.
State records show that every month from January to June 2026 drew more domestic tourists than the same month of 2025, with May the highest at about 2.5 lakh. The report notes that the two data sets should not be used side by side until the gap is explained.
Source: EastMojo
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