Sustainability in Tourism has been an icing on the cake in recent Tourism studies as it ensures balanced development of an ecologically fragile and culturally sensitive region. The Dirang region of the West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh located in the Eastern Himalayas comes with a rich biodiversity, the very unique and indigenous Monpa culture and emerging tourism potential (Shimrah.T. et al 2012) Due to its scenic landscapes, hot water springs, monasteries and agricultural activities like the cultivation of kiwi and apples. But at the same time such kind of a rapid growth of tourism also indicates damage of the environment and the disruption of the socio-cultural balance. Therefore, necessary steps to be taken to maintain such a fragile and balanced ecosystem.

This paper examines the various dimensions of sustainable tourism development in Dirang by focusing on three key aspects i.e. the Policy framework, Challenges and Opportunities. The research adopts a mixed method approach combining the qualitative inputs from stakeholder interviews and the quantitative data collected from the tourist. Secondary data collected from the Government policy documents, tourism reports and existing academic literature have also been reviewed for a detailed understanding of the region’s tourism importance.

After the study conducted, it has been observed that Dirang comes with significant potential for eco-tourism. Also it is found that the region has tremendous potential for agro-tourism and community-based tourism specially the homestay- based tourism. However, several constraints like inadequate infrastructure, limited accessibility, lack of trained human resources, not very structured policy and waste management and ecosystem degradation are hindering the sustainable development of this beautiful region. The study proposes a framework to develop infrastructure managing the environment increasing the community involvement to focus Dirang as a model eco-tourism destination in the Eastern Himalayan region.