Branded hotel rooms in Northeast to double by 2030

New Delhi: Once perceived to be remote and difficult to access, Northeast India is now experiencing a quiet transformation. The region is expected to nearly double its branded hotel supply by 2030, with more than 3,000 new rooms in the pipeline across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Tripura and Nagaland, according to a report.

Assam is set to lead the hospitality expansion in Northeast India, with an addition of nearly 2,000 branded hotel rooms, or keys, between 2025 and 2030, driven largely by Guwahati and other emerging tourism hubs, hospitality consultancy HVS Anarock said in its report on Northeast India's tourism potential.

Arunachal Pradesh follows with a pipeline of 660 rooms, signalling rising investor confidence in destinations like Tawang and Itanagar. Sikkim has over 250 planned keys, while Tripura has 80 scheduled for 2026 and another 100 by 2030.

"Northeast India is undergoing a remarkable transformation. With enhanced infrastructure, sustainable tourism models and robust public-private collaboration, the region is fast emerging as one of South Asia's most promising hospitality frontiers," said Nikhil Sharma, managing director and chief operating officer (South Asia) at the Radisson Hotel Group. The group has two operational hotels in Guwahati and Imphal, and another two with 254 keys are under development in Siliguri, he said.

According to the HVS Anarock report, despite the doubling of supply expected by 2030, the region will still account for less than 3% of India's total projected branded supply, highlighting the untapped potential that remains, especially in states like Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya where no new branded hotel developments are currently visible. Investor focus remains heavily skewed towards Assam, and with domestic travel surging, supply is likely to lag in several high-potential areas without more balanced regional investment.

As of June this year, the Northeast region had more than 3,400 branded hotel keys, or just 1.7% of India's overall branded inventory of about 202,000 rooms. Sikkim and Assam represent nearly 68% of the region's existing supply, with Gangtok and Guwahati alone contributing more than half to the branded hotel inventory. Meanwhile, air traffic has rebounded strongly post the pandemic in Northeast India, hitting an all-time high of 11.2 million passengers last year, indicating increased tourist arrivals.

According to the report, the pace of railway projects in the region has also significantly accelerated in recent years, and the government has prioritised rapid highway development as well. However, the region struggles to attract private investment in tourism due to regulatory complexities. The report recommends building a "harmonised" tourism investment framework across all eight states and a single window clearance platform for tourism investments.