In an exclusive chat with TravelBizMonitor recently, Arunachal Pradesh’s Tourism Minister, Pasang Dorjee Sona said that the state is looking at hosting Asian and World adventure racing series starting next year.
After promoting the state as a soft adventure destination for some time, the Arunachal Pradesh Tourism is trying to shift gears and position itself as one of India’s leading extreme adventure tourism destinations. Speaking to TravelBiz Monitor on the sidelines of the 13th International Tourism Mart (ITM) 2025 in Gangtok, Pasang Dorjee Sona, Tourism Minister of Arunachal Pradesh said that the state is building on the strong response received for the national adventure racing events in Mechuka to bid for Asian and World series in coming years.
“We are trying to do Asian series next year. The launch will happen soon,” Sona said, adding that the government aims to develop Arunachal “as an adventure hub… at least at an international level.”
Sona said the state offers one of the most diverse adventure landscapes in India, with different locations, different adventures to offer, right from river rafting, mountain trekking, mountaineering, paragliding, parasailing, etc.
The Minister said that the adventure-seekers like the rough and tough terrain of the state, and they don’t complain or crib about logistical and other issues like leisure tourists.
Arunachal Pradesh had announced its new Tourism policy early this year seeking increased private sector participation in the tourism growth and development. When asked about the momentum that the new tourism policy has given to the state’s tourism sector, the minister said that “it’s too early” to measure the results.
“Policy has just been launched actually… six months is too little a time. It’s too early to talk about concrete outcomes,” he said.
However, the Tourism Minister stated that there has been growing enquiries about investment and other opportunities under the PPP model.
On hotel development, Sona said that while land ownership issue is seen as a deterrent by outside investors, the government has been trying its level best to convince investors about alternative partnership models possible for investments in the hospitality sector in the state. Several national and international chains have expressed interest despite restrictions on land ownership by non-locals, he said, sharing the sentiments of a online meeting convened by the government under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, which was attended by representatives of major hotel companies operating in the country.
“There is always a middle path, there is always a silver lining… whatever suits them, they will go ahead with it. But complete ownership won’t be there,” he said.
Sona also highlighted financial assistance schemes aimed at supporting local youth and homestay operators. He said the Swalamban Yojana is proving effective in enabling enthusiastic young entrepreneurs to enter tourism.
“They are mostly tourism-oriented start-ups like tour companies, homestays and for building resorts and other tourism products. We are expecting that this will be a game changer,” he noted. Homestays, he added, “are coming up in a big way now,” with district-level support mechanisms in place to identify and encourage genuine entrepreneurs.
