Darjeeling, October 11, 2025:
Recent landslides in the Mirik-Sukhiapokhri region on Sunday have raised concerns among tourists, causing a wave of cancellations across hotels in the Darjeeling hills. However, local hoteliers and tourism stakeholders have clarified that Darjeeling town remains safe and unaffected.
According to local hotel owners, misinformation circulating on social media—stating that landslides occurred throughout Darjeeling—led to panic and prompted tourists to cancel bookings, despite the popular hill station being operational.
“Only the route to Mirik from Siliguri has been affected,” a hotelier confirmed. He further stated that routes to Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Sikkim remain open, with traffic moving smoothly via Pankhabari and National Highway 10 (NH10). Restoration efforts have also begun on Rohini Road, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has resumed operations from New Jalpaiguri as of Thursday.
Hotels had seen strong advance bookings during the ongoing Puja season, but the cancellations have placed financial strain on several operators, particularly those who lease properties.
In Sikkim, the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department issued a travel advisory confirming that NH10 and all state highways are motorable. Despite this, hoteliers in Gangtok report that tourist inflow remains low since the October 2023 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), with recent concerns about Darjeeling compounding the issue.
Authorities and tourism stakeholders are now urging travelers to verify facts before altering travel plans and encouraging a return of confidence in hill tourism.
