Law & order problem hits tourism in State

SHILLONG: The recent instances of law and order problem have affected the tourist flow in the State.
Hoteliers from the city, on the request of anonymity said that usually occupancy rate is very high at this time of the year but the numbers of tourists have drastically gone down ever since the State has witnessed violence.
“The occupancy rate was very high till last month and our hotels were full but now with the cases of arson happening across the State, many of the tourists have left Shillong,” the hotelier said.
It was also informed that many tourists, who were planning to visit Meghalaya, have cancelled or diverted their visit in view of the ongoing problems
“It would lead to huge loss for the State and its people, who are surviving on tourism, if the situation continues to be the same,” the hotelier added.
The hotel keepers also said that the tourist flow to Meghalaya was increasing since Shillong was probably the only city in North East which did not have law and order problems and positive atmosphere was created as bandhs and agitations no longer existed here.
However, tourists are now giving a second thought about visiting the State as they found out about the ongoing situation of Meghalaya, through news and social media.
Echoing similar views, another hotelier stated that the cases of arson have really affected the tourists flow to Shillong, adding “If you had visited Police Bazar last month, you would only see tourists but now very less tourists can be spotted thanks to the law and order problem.”