Nearly 24.4 mn tourists visited state in last 4 yrs: Assam tourism minister

Nearly 24.4 million tourists, including more than 60,000 foreign tourists, visited Assam in the last four years, said Assam Tourism Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass in the state assembly.

Replying to a question of MLA Akhil Gogoi, Assam Tourism Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass said in the state assembly that, more than 24.3 million domestic tourists and 60,306 foreign tourists visited Assam in last four years.

"17,01,701 domestic tourists and 1231 foreign tourists had visited the state in 2021-22; 98,12,195 domestic tourists and 18,946 foreign tourists visited the state in 2022-23. 70,41,206 domestic tourists and 26,129 foreign tourists visited Assam in 2023-24," Ranjeet Kumar Dass said.

The Assam Minister further said that, in 2024-25 till December 57,48,772 domestic tourists and 14,000 foreign tourists visited the state.

During the period, more than 41 lakh domestic and foreign tourists had visited Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.

The Minister further said that, the state government has implemented several schemes, projects for development of the tourism sector of the state.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the state assembly on Tuesday that Assam is one of the five fastest-growing states in the country.

"We are consistently clocking growth rates of 14-15 per cent, which is much more than the national growth of 9-10 per cent. Assam is one of the 5 fastest-growing States of the country, and the resounding success of Advantage Assam 2.0 speaks volumes about our growth journey," Sarma said on Tuesday.

According to the state government's data, in 2021-22, Assam's GSDP growth rate was 21 percent, in 2022-23, it was 17 percent, in 2023-24, it was 19 percent, and in 2024-25, it was 13 percent, which is higher than the national average.

The Assam Chief Minister further said that Assam's capital expenditures have seen a significant rise, from Rs 2,951 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 24,964 crore in 2024-25. "With such growth, the state is poised to become one of the leading states in terms of capital expenditures," CM Sarma added.

The Assam Chief Minister also said, "Assam's debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 25 per cent. Additionally, 17 public sector undertakings are profitable, contributing to a collective net wealth of approximately Rs 40,000 crore. The state also has Rs 58,000 crore in assets that can be encashed at any given time."

According to the data, Assam's debt-to-GSDP ratio in FY 2023-24 is 24.3 per cent. The Assam Chief Minister also said, "This is a new Assam, an Assam that aims for the sky and reaches it. This is my Assam.