SHILLONG: Meghalaya, “The Abode of Clouds”, is known for its beauty and charm that attracts tourists not only from within the country but from across the globe.
Statistics released by the Meghalaya Tourism department reveal that the number of domestic as well as foreign tourists visiting the Hill State is increasing every year.
As per the statistics, a whopping 7,17,789 domestic tourists and 8,664 foreign tourists visited the State last year taking the total number of tourists visiting Meghalaya to 7,26,453.
In the year 2013, 6,91,269 domestic tourists and 6,773 foreign tourists had visited the State. This was a marginal increase from the year 2012 in which 685567 tourists, 680254 domestic and 5313 foreign, had visited the State.
However, what has been encouraging for the tourism industry in the State is the rapid growth in the inflow of tourists each passing year.
The number, in fact, has almost doubled from what it was a decade ago as data revealed that 3,81,010 tourists, 375911 domestic and 5099 foreign, had visited the State in 2005.
Sources from the Tourism department said that the statistics have been collected from various hotels and lodges across the State.
Despite the increase in the number of visitors, there is a general feeling that better connectivity, through railways and flights, will give a boost to the tourism sector in the State.
In addition, the need to develop an aggressive marketing strategy has also been felt.
Flow of tourists
Year Domestic Foreign Total
2005 375911 5099 381010
2006 400287 4259 404546
2007 457685 5267 462952
2008 549954 4919 554873
2009 591398 4522 595920
2010 652756 4177 656933
2011 667504 4803 672307
2012 680254 5313 685567
2013 691269 6773 698042
2014 717789 8664 726453
