The tourism ministry is planning to boost tourism in the Northeast as the government believes the area has huge potential and there is a need to develop infrastructure to give it a fillip. To this end the ministry has set apart 10 per cent of its plan allocation for tourism development in the eight states of the Northeast, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim which form part of the East Himalayan region up to Sikkim eastwards embracing Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal up to the Burma border. The tourism ministry felt the rich natural beauty, serenity and exotic flora and fauna of the area are invaluable resources for the development of ecotourism.