The Sikkim government has announced that tourist spots in the northern Mangan district will reopen on December 1, more than a year after a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) wreaked havoc on the region forcing the closure of the destinations to visitors.

Apart from the GLOF in October last year, recurring landslides during the monsoon worsened the situation and led to the prolonged closure of destinations like Lachen, Lachung and Yumthang.

“From December 1, we will start issuing permits for tourists visiting north Sikkim,” tourism and civil aviation minister Tshering Thendup Bhutia said on Friday. He was attending an event at Naga in the Mangan district.

To mark the symbolic resumption of tourist movement in the district, Bhutia, along with local MLA Samdup Lepcha, flagged off three vehicles carrying Indian and foreign visitors.

Officials of the Mangan district administration and the Border Roads Organisation, and stakeholders of the tourism industry attended the event.

The district magistrate of Mangan issued an order on Friday, saying vehicles would be allowed to move during stipulated hours as the repair of roads was still in progress. “Tourists have been advised to take SUVs which have four-wheel drive, better tyres and higher ground clearance to avoid any inconvenience during travel,” said a source.

North Sikkim, known for frequent snowfalls during the winter, is a favourite destination for domestic and international tourists. Every year, hundreds of tourists flock to locations like Lachen, Lachung, Yumthang and Yumesemdong to enjoy the snowfall and the idyllic landscape.

A group of tourists, including bikers, make a trip to Gurudongmar Lake, located at a height of 17,100 feet near the China border.

Stakeholders of the tourism industry said the sector had suffered huge losses in Sikkim since October last year. First, the GLOF halted tourists’ movement to the state. Second, recurring landslides in Sikkim and along NH10, the principal highway connecting the mountain state with the rest of the country, discouraged tourists from visiting Sikkim.

“The political turmoil in Bangladesh has also impacted the sector as thousands of Bangladeshis visit Sikkim every year. But over the past few months, the inflow of tourists from the neighbouring country has almost stopped. At this point, the decision to reopen the destinations in north Sikkim is a positive development and will increase the footfall of tourists,” said Debasish Chakraborty, the general secretary of the Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators’ Association.