Tourist inflow in Sikkim up by 10% in 2007

GANGTOK: The tourist hub of Sikkim has witnessed about 10 per cent rise in domestic tourist inflow in 2007. An estimated 3.51 lakh visitors visited the picturesque state in 2007 compared to 3.22 lakh in 2006, a rise of about 10 per cent, tourism department sources said today. Of the 3.51 lakh tourists visiting the state last year, 3.31 lakh were domestic visitors, while the number of foreign tourists stood at 19,844.

This was against 3.02 lakh domestic tourists and 20,005 foreigners visiting the state in 2006. The figures showed while the number of domestic tourists visiting the Himalayan state jumped by about ten per cent last year, the corresponding figure of the foreign tourists dipped marginally at 18,844 as against 20,055 in 2006.

The months of April and May last year saw a significant increase in the number of domestic tourists' at 51,231 and 59,621 as people from across the country thronged the cool state to stave off from heatwave conditions. The bulk of foreign tourists, however, visited the state in the months of October and November to enjoy the spells of snowfalls in the Himalayan state.

A cursory analysis of the tourists' inflow in Sikkim in past three years indicated a consistent growth in the number of domestic tourists at 2.51 lakh in 2005, 3.02 lakh in 2006 and 3.31 lakh in 2007. The corresponding figure of number of tourists from foreign countries remained stagnant over these years at 18.5 lakh in 2005, 20 lakh in 2006 and 19.8 lakh in 2007. (More) PTI KDK SUS DV 04241427 DEL NNNN