Efforts are intact for boosting tourism in Andamans

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands hopes to keep tourism to move on, despite the alleged killing of the US national by aboriginal tribals on North Sentinel Island. MHA is planning to further liberalize e-visa for foreign visitors intending to go to the islands.

As per a senior MHA official, after lifting the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) tag from 29 islands, including North Sentinel Island where the incident took place, the government is now looking at further liberalizing the e-visa system by ‘embedding in it the automatic permission to foreign tourists to visit the islands’, but without informing the local police and Forest Department.

The circular lifting the RAP tag from 29 of 39 islands in Andaman and Nicobar was reported to be issued in June with an aim to promote tourism. The list, incidentally, also includes 11 uninhabitable islands that were earlier notified by Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration for day visits.

However, another official in the MHA said despite lifting the restriction, tourists hardly visit these areas. It is told that Anthropologists of international repute visit there to study the lifestyle of resident tribals.

Officials at the North Block here also contended that the Center’s efforts to promote Andaman and Nicobar as a tourism hub remain intact.

Despite the killing of the US national, local missionaries based in Andaman are fully supportive of the government policy of leaving the Sentinelese alone. A pastor with the Assembly of God Church said the dead US national’s mission of stealthily visiting the island to spread the message of Jesus was not acceptable.