Guwahati, August 3 (IANS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) has witnessed a huge surge in tourist footfalls this year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UNESCO World Heritage site in March.

Narendra Modi became the first Prime Minister of the country to spend a night at the Kaziranga National Park during his visit in March when he took elephant and jeep safaris besides interacting with the forest officials, giving them a series of suggestions to increase tourist footfall.

Taking to X, Chief Minister Sarma said, “In recent times, Assam has seen a record increase in tourist footfall, especially in Kaziranga post Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji's overnight stay at the World Heritage Site.”

Meanwhile, the Assam government on Saturday signed an MoU with the Tata Group to establish a luxury hotel in Kaziranga.

Sarma said the initiative has been taken to increase tourist inflow into the national park.

"Taking forward Hon'ble PM's thrust in developing tourism in the region and to further attract tourists and visitors to the state, we signed an MoU today for the establishment of a 5-star property in Kaziranga. This property will provide worldclass experience to the visitors and encourage them to spend more time in Assam,” the Chief Minister said in a post.