The railway linking Sairang, a small town near Aizawl, to New Delhi, has increased domestic tourism, and with it an unfamiliar anxiety among locals – about strained infrastructure, environmental damage and precious traditions reduced to short 60-second videos.
While locals are coping with the unprecedented tourism boom, mostly with enthusiasm, stakeholders have expressed concerns about the crowded once-a-week Rajdhani Express landing in Sairang, emptying out tourists who have little knowledge of local customs and, what stakeholders believe, an obsession with making social media clips.
The beginning and the promise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the state’s first railway line – the Bairapi-Sarang route – from Lengpoi Airport last September, signaling the launch of the new Rajdhani Express. It connects Serang to Anand Vihar Railway Station in New Delhi, passes through 15 stations and takes approximately two days.
“This new railway line will create opportunities in medical services, education, trade, tourism and industry, thereby enhancing regional prosperity by integrating Mizoram more closely with the rest of India,” Modi said during the inauguration ceremony.
Tourism has really taken off. According to the state tourism department, 8.01 lakh tourists visited Mizoram in the last six months, with the peak season being December and January, which coincided with Christmas and New Year celebrations. Statistics issued by the state Ministry of Tourism said: “1.33 thousand tourists were registered in December 2025 and 1.21 thousand tourists in January 2026.”
During 2024-25, there were a total of 5.12 lakh tourists visiting Mizoram, said Rosie Hammar, a statistician at the Mizoram Tourism Department.
“According to our data, there has been a significant rise in the number of tourists visiting Mizoram after the opening of the railway line. So far, we have already surpassed the previous year with a record growth rate of over 86 percent,” she said.
Ministry of Tourism records stated that there was a significant increase in the number of domestic tourists. The number of domestic tourists for this year has already surpassed 2024-25 by more than 4 lakh.
Of the foreigners who visited the state in April 2025 and January 2026, 8,598 were from neighboring Myanmar, 662 from the United States, 254 from Japan, 197 from the United Kingdom, and 158 from Israel.
As it turns out, homestays in the state capital and around Mizoram are often booked out, café chefs are working overtime, service industry workers are straining to understand new languages, and taxi services are in high demand. Tourism organizers say all of this would have been unimaginable even just a few months ago.
Read also:Railway link helps Mizoram emerge as fastest growing tourist destination in Northeast: Guv
the fear
But beneath the boom there is a sense of discomfort that resonates. There is growing concern among local NGOs, student unions and the church about the unexpected influx of tourists and its impact.
The state’s most influential student body, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), has warned the state government and stakeholders that a sudden rise in tourism, or ‘over-tourism’, in a small state like Mizoram could lead to negative impacts including on the daily lives of residents.
The student body has issued travel guidelines for tourists to maintain decorum and respect the traditional sanctity of various tribes of Mizoram. The guidelines warned vloggers and content creators against creating content solely to gather followers on social media.
“What the MZP fears most is the cultural erosion or commodification of our local culture by vloggers; we fear that they will inadvertently erode local traditions and heritage just for theatrical performances, causing the loss of our indigenous culture and identity,” said Hemingsanga Changti, MZP Secretary-General.
Meanwhile, the state’s largest NGO, the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), has taken up the issue with state Tourism Minister Lalenglova Hamar. The discussion focused on creating a meaningful and safe tourism environment for both tourists and local settlers in Mizoram, who are considered minorities by visiting tourists.
Read also:Mizoram train confirms the border to see the first rider
The road ahead
R. said. Lalangita, President of CYMA: “We need to find a way to balance the tourism industry so that we can achieve economic gains without compromising our culture and identity.” “The question is, are we ready or prepared for this kind of rapid exposure?” He said.
James Lalrena, a local tour operator, spoke of the sudden surge in tourist numbers after Serang was connected to the railway. “The fact that the train arriving at Sairang is always at full capacity, it is clear that the number of tourists in Mizoram has increased many times,” he said.
The Mizoram Presbyterian Church, which is central to religious and social life in Mizo, has reached out to its network to understand the situation on the ground. “I have consulted with church leaders on how to use our unique Christmas celebrations,” said Tourism Minister Lalenglova Hamar. “Church leaders see opportunity and risk: an opportunity to share faith and culture, but also the risk of turning sacred traditions into spectacle.”
“So far, the plan is to make Aizawl the Christmas capital of India.”
The MZP also fears potential risks to the social, economic and cultural safety of minorities and the illegal entry of migrants, not to mention tourists.
“We have conducted several inspections of the railway station in Sairang… We have discovered unprecedented illegal entries and uncontrolled environmental pollution in and around the station,” said MZP Secretary-General Hemingsanga Changti.
