The Directorate of Information, Publicity and Tourism has informed tourists, tourism stakeholders and the general public that the eTourist portal of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be temporarily unavailable from 9 am onwards on January 21 due to a scheduled technical migration and encryption upgrade. The temporary suspension of services is part of a system-level transition aimed at enhancing security and functionality of the online platform.
According to the Directorate, the downtime is necessitated by the migration of the eTourist portal from its existing web address to a new official domain. As part of this process, the portal will move from its current URL to a new address that will serve as the permanent access point for online tourism-related services. The transition is being undertaken alongside an SBI ePay encryption upgrade, which is expected to strengthen payment security and improve overall system reliability.
The department has indicated that the migration process will involve backend testing and verification before services are fully restored. While the restoration of services is expected within four to five hours after completion of testing, users have been advised that the downtime could extend up to one day if required. The extended window has been kept as a precaution to ensure that the migration is completed without technical errors or security vulnerabilities.
Once the migration process is completed, the new portal address will be operational across all online platforms, and users will be required to access the eTourist services through the updated URL. The Directorate has clarified that the old portal address will no longer be in use after the migration, making it necessary for users and stakeholders to update their records and bookmarks accordingly.
The eTourist portal serves as a key digital interface for tourists planning visits to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is used for various online services related to tourism, including registrations and bookings, and any interruption to the portal can affect travel planning for visitors. In view of this, the department has advised users to plan their online transactions and bookings in advance to avoid inconvenience during the scheduled downtime.
Tourism stakeholders, including travel operators and service providers, have also been advised to take note of the temporary suspension and inform their clients accordingly. The Directorate has stated that advance intimation has been issued to minimise disruption and allow sufficient time for planning around the migration window.
The technical migration forms part of ongoing efforts to modernise digital infrastructure associated with tourism services in the islands. With increasing reliance on online platforms for travel-related processes, the department has emphasised the need for secure, robust and user-friendly systems. The encryption upgrade associated with the migration is expected to enhance protection of online transactions and user data.
The Directorate has expressed regret for any inconvenience caused to users due to the temporary unavailability of the portal. It has reiterated that the planned downtime is essential to ensure long-term improvements in service delivery and system security. Users have been encouraged to monitor official communication channels for updates regarding restoration of services and confirmation of the new portal address.
The department has maintained that such upgrades are a necessary part of maintaining efficient digital services and that efforts are being made to complete the migration within the shortest possible time frame while ensuring system stability and security.
