Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Gangtok: Sikkim tourism is going digital. Starting September 1, 2026, the state government mandates that all hotels, resorts, homestays, bed and breakfasts, service apartments, holiday homes, and restaurants must submit registration applications through the Single Sign-On online portal. The days of the Bank Receipt System are over.
The Tourism and Civil Aviation Department is ditching old-school paperwork to speed up operations. Even if an owner submits an application in person, officials must process the payment through the new online gateway. This shift aims to simplify services and ease business for stakeholders across the state.
Some sectors remain outside the portal for now. Travel agents, adventure tour operators, outdoor photographers, tourist guides, and cooks must still submit applications physically. Yet, these groups must also abandon the Bank Receipt System used through SBS Bank. Instead, they must use QR codes equipped with sound boxes.
The department insists these QR receipts serve as the only valid proof of payment moving forward. District Tourism Officers and Tourist Information Centres have strict orders to enforce these rules. As the government stated, the move is intended for the "smooth implementation of digitalisation" across the tourism sector.
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