Gangtok: A major discrepancy has emerged between Sikkim’s official tourism data and figures cited by the Union Ministry of Tourism in Parliament, with the two datasets differing by more than 11.18 lakh domestic tourist visits for 2026.
Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on August 10, said Sikkim recorded 23,52,725 domestic tourist visits and 43,734 foreign tourist visits in 2026. The reply stated that the figures had been provided by the state Tourism Department.
However, data published by the Sikkim Tourism and Civil Aviation Department shows that the state recorded 12,34,325 domestic tourist visits between January and June 2026. The department’s monthly data further records 71,789 domestic visits in July, taking the January-July total to 13,06,114.
The difference between the two domestic figures for January-June alone is 11,18,400 visits.
The discrepancy also extends to foreign tourist arrivals. The state department’s data records 32,618 foreign tourist visits between January and June 2026, compared with the 43,734 figure cited by the Union minister.
The difference has raised questions over whether the two sets of figures are based on different reporting periods, definitions or methodologies.
Officials in the Sikkim Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the department had not been asked by the Union Ministry for the figures before the matter was discussed in the Lok Sabha.
“Our data is prepared every day and every month. There is no way we could have missed including over 11 lakh tourists. That is almost at par with the actual tourist footfall Sikkim has received in the first seven months of 2026. The data is misleading,” an official said.
The discrepancy is particularly significant because Sikkim has been experiencing one of its strongest domestic tourism seasons since the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the state department, Sikkim recorded 13.06 lakh domestic tourist visits between January and July 2026. For comparison, the state recorded 16.55 lakh domestic tourist visits during the whole of 2025, 15.40 lakh in 2024 and 14.22 lakh in 2019.
The figures indicate that domestic tourism has not only recovered from the pandemic but has surpassed the state’s pre-Covid annual benchmark.
Foreign tourism, however, has followed a different trajectory. Sikkim recorded 32,618 foreign tourist visits between January and June 2026, compared with 68,992 for the whole of 2025 and 1,33,388 in 2019.
The contrasting trends point to a significant shift in Sikkim’s tourism market. Domestic travellers have driven the state’s post-pandemic recovery, while international tourism remains well below its pre-pandemic level.
Domestic tourism continues to grow
The monthly figures show strong domestic demand during the first half of 2026. Domestic arrivals stood at about 2.20 lakh in January, while March recorded around 2.19 lakh. Arrivals crossed 2.3 lakh in April, with May recording the highest monthly figure so far at around 2.50 lakh. June recorded another strong month at about 2.04 lakh.
The corresponding figures for January to June 2025 were 1.93 lakh, 87,377, 1.77 lakh, 1.72 lakh, 2.14 lakh and 1.38 lakh respectively.
The 2026 figures were higher than the corresponding months of 2025 across the first six months, indicating that the increase in domestic tourism is not limited to a single peak season.
Sikkim’s longer-term data also shows the extent of the recovery.
Domestic tourist visits fell from 14.22 lakh in 2019 to 3.16 lakh in 2020 as the pandemic brought tourism to a near standstill. The figure recovered to 5.11 lakh in 2021 before rising sharply to 16.26 lakh in 2022.
The state subsequently recorded 13.21 lakh domestic visits in 2023, 15.40 lakh in 2024 and 16.55 lakh in 2025.
The 2025 figure was around 7.4% higher than the previous year and about 16% above the 2019 level, making domestic tourism the principal driver of Sikkim’s tourism recovery.
Foreign tourism remains below pre-Covid levels
Foreign tourist arrivals have not recovered at the same pace.
Sikkim recorded 1,33,388 foreign tourist visits in 2019, the highest figure in the available data. The number fell to 19,935 in 2020 before recovering to 68,645 in 2022 and 93,908 in 2023.
Foreign arrivals subsequently declined to 84,820 in 2024 and 68,992 in 2025. The state recorded 32,618 foreign tourist visits between January and June 2026.
The 2025 figure was 18.7% lower than in 2024 and approximately 48% below the 2019 level.
The monthly figures also show a mixed recovery. Foreign arrivals fell sharply in February and March 2026 compared with the corresponding months of 2025, while April and May recorded increases. June again saw a decline.
The divergence between domestic and foreign tourism is therefore becoming increasingly pronounced.
Sikkim’s position in Northeast tourism
Figures supplied by the Union Ministry of Tourism for 2025 provide another perspective on Sikkim’s position within the Northeast.
Sikkim recorded 16,54,838 domestic tourist visits in 2025, placing it behind Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh but ahead of Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur.
In foreign tourism, however, Sikkim ranked first among the eight northeastern states listed in the ministry’s data, with 68,992 foreign tourist visits.
Its foreign tourist footfall was more than double Tripura’s 27,320 and substantially higher than Mizoram’s 11,484, Meghalaya’s 7,116 and Assam’s 33,858 in the figures cited for 2025.
Sikkim therefore accounted for a substantial share of the Northeast’s international tourist traffic despite having a much smaller domestic tourism market than Assam.
However, the ministry’s figures themselves highlight why comparisons between datasets need to be made cautiously.
The figures cited for Assam differ within the available tables, with one set putting its 2025 foreign tourist visits at 33,858 and another at 32,471. Such differences suggest that the tables may relate to different reporting periods or statistical classifications.
So, which figure is correct?
The 11.18 lakh discrepancy cannot be explained by ordinary monthly reporting variations. The state department’s published data puts Sikkim’s domestic tourist visits at 12,34,325 for January-June 2026, while the Union minister cited 23,52,725 for the same period.
The two figures could be based on different definitions of a tourist visit, reporting systems, source periods or data supplied through different government channels. But the Union minister’s statement specifically attributes the figures to the state Tourism Department, making clarification from the department and the Union Ministry important.
Until the authorities explain the difference, the two datasets should not be treated as interchangeable for year-on-year comparisons or comparisons between states.
What is clear from the state’s monthly data is that Sikkim’s domestic tourism recovery remains strong. What remains unclear is why the Union Ministry’s parliamentary figure is more than 11 lakh visits higher than the state department’s own published data.
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