Manas National Park earns ₹1.5 crore

Manas National Park in Assam has generated about ₹1.5 crore in tourism revenue during seven months of the 2025-26 visitor season, according to officials cited in local reports and a May 16 post by Airnews Guwahati. The same updates said the park received about 61,000 domestic tourists and nearly 1,600 foreign visitors during that period. The figures point to another strong season for the UNESCO-listed reserve in western Assam, which sits along the Bhutan border. On May 16, Manas Tiger Reserve authorities also issued an order to suspend tourism activities from June 5 ahead of the monsoon. ### Which official put the numbers on the record? Barnabari Range Ranger Pranjal Talukdar was identified in local coverage as the official who gave the revenue and visitor figures. Headline8 and Pratidin Time both reported that Talukdar said Manas had crossed ₹1.5 crore in earnings in seven months, with domestic arrivals at about 61,000 and foreign arrivals at about 1,600. (headline8.news) May 16 was the date of the Airnews Guwahati post that circulated the same figures. Reuters could not independently review a formal statistical bulletin from the reserve in the material available online, but the numbers were repeated across multiple Assam-based outlets and broadly matched the park closure report published the next day. (headline8.news) ### Where is Manas, and why does it draw visitors? Manas National Park is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in Assam and is also designated as a tiger reserve, elephant reserve and biosphere reserve, according to the park’s official website. The reserve lies in the Himalayan foothills and is contiguous with Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. The Assam forest department says the park is reached mainly through Barpeta Road and is about 137 km from Guwahati by road. (headline8.news) The department lists November to April as the best season for visits, while the park’s own site points travelers to Basbari and Bhuyanpara ranges as the main access points. ### How does this season compare with earlier years? Earlier local reporting from 2024 showed Manas had already been posting rising tourism receipts. (manasnptr.in) Sentinel Assam reported that the park earned Rs 1,40,64,000 in 2023-24, with 50,515 Indian tourists and 1,816 foreign tourists, after earning Rs 1,35,98,275 in 2022-23. (forest.assam.gov.in) A separate 2024 report by Bodoland News said the park generated Rs 1.58 crore in eight months of the 2024-25 period and welcomed 64,463 visitors, including 3,719 foreign tourists. Those figures suggest the current ₹1.5 crore tally was reached in a shorter span this season, though the reporting periods are not identical. (sentinelassam.com) ### What tourism activity is being halted next? May 16 was also the date on which Manas Tiger Reserve issued its latest seasonal closure order. India Today NE reported that all tourism activities inside the reserve — including jeep safaris, elephant safaris and boating — will remain suspended from June 5 until further orders. (bodolandnews.in) Dr. C. Ramesh, chief conservator of forests and field director of Manas Tiger Reserve, issued the directive, according to that report. The publication said the order cited National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines under India’s environment ministry, and forest officials described the annual closure as part of monsoon-season conservation measures. (indiatodayne.in) ### What can visitors still track after the closure announcement? June 5 is the next concrete date for travelers because that is when the suspension of ecotourism activities is due to begin, according to the May 16 order. The official Manas Tiger Reserve website continues to serve as the park’s main public portal for access information, booking links and notices, while Assam forest department pages list transport routes and field office contacts for the reserve. (indiatodayne.in)