Originally Posted by
oliver2002
Andaman is very very nice and would be ideal for tourism. As is Lakshadweep (north of the Maledives).
BUT
Due to the strategic military importance and (partly) to save the pristine nature the Indian government doesn't actively promote tourism in these islands. Having anything close to the shoreline for example is not allowed anywhere in India, overwater bugalows like in the Maledives would be an absolute no go. The Indian tourist that venture there have very little respect for nature either, I recall an Andaman snorkeling tour we did in the 90s where people had no clue about the preciousness of the nature they were experiencing.
In a way I'm happy things are the way they are. The main island is overrun with government and military families and the local tribes are being sidelined in a bad way. If tourism picks up the situation will be worse. That said I doubt anyone from S.E. Asia would vacation in India?
All things tourist in India tend to get messed up by mass domestic tourism and other things the Indian government encourages when its favorites are given preferential access to the prized cows to milk the cow and the public. Kashmir is a case in point on the direction that Andaman and Nicobar islands would go with mass tourism being opened up. But for now the GOI and its favorites can make far more money on the mainland, and so the Andaman and Nicobar islands are spared and used as a convenient propaganda piece about “pristine” India.