In response to the significant rise in tourists since the COVID-19 outbreak, Assam is establishing a specialized “Tourist Police” team to guarantee the protection and safety of visitors. To protect visitors’ safety, the state’s tourism department plans to build stations, tourist police units, and other necessary facilities. Many of the states in India, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and Uttar Pradesh, have already established tourist police forces in one form or the other. The tourist police scheme was at first rolled out over the nation in 2022, taking after mandates from the Union Ministry of Tourism to all states and union territories.
The new Assam Tourism (Development and Registration) Bill, 2024, recently passed by the state assembly, included the introduction of the “tourist police” scheme. According to a senior official, this initiative is intended to create a complete framework for the tourism sector, which includes a requirement for all accommodation facilities to register with the tourism department. Although the execution is in its early stage in Assam, the official assured that it would be initiated promptly. The tourist police will take surveillance on different tourist spots to make sure visitors are safe.
In order to provide training program, propose uniforms for tourist police personnel, and establish standard operating procedures this initiative will cooperate with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).
In 2023, Assam welcomed 98.31 lakh tourists, including 98.12 lakh domestic visitors and 18,946 foreign tourists. This marked a significant increase from 2022, when the state received a total of merely 17.03 lakh tourists. Assam has been a popular tourist destination known for its rich biodiversity, tea gardens, and cultural heritage. Even Guwahati city which is known as the gateway of Northeast India has become popular among tourists not only as a designated destination but even as a transit zone. The state along with its tagline ‘Awesome Assam’ has made efforts to attract tourists by improving infrastructure and promoting its unique attractions.
