SHILLONG: At a time when the State has emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the North East, factors like shortage of accommodation, traffic snarls and lack of facilities for visitors are acting as a dampener robbing Meghalaya of the most favoured tourist destination.
A group of journalists recently spoke to a few domestic tourists and tried to find out their overall experience in Meghalaya.
Neeloy Bhattacharya, a tourist from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, while sharing his experience said that he decided to visit Shillong after hearing that the city was a tourist hub of the North East. He, however, was disappointed with the lack of accommodation in the city where most hotels and guest houses remain jam packed almost throughout the year.
He stressed on the need to create home stays to tide over the accommodation shortage crisis. The move, he felt, would also go a long way in creating employment for the local population.
Bhattacharya added that the traffic problem in the city needs to be addressed at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Oyindrila Khanra from New Delhi, who is a frequent visitor to Shillong, says, “The lush green surroundings along with the hills and waterfalls make one come again to this beautiful place. The people have been extremely courteous and friendly. With me being a diehard non-vegetarian, Shillong has been an ideal spot,” she said.
She however lamented that food and stay in Shillong is costly and the hotel rooms, though not up to the mark, come at exorbitant rates thus taxing and even discouraging visitors.
Echoing similar views, R Moirangthem from Manipur says that though Shillong is a good summer retreat and is much better than several other hill stations, poor road connectivity to certain tourist spots act as a deterrent.
“Some of the tourist spots are not well maintained either,” he added.
Another tourist from Gujarat who did not wish to be identified said that Shillong also lacks proper vegetarian restaurants since every tourist who comes here may not be a diehard non vegetarian.
In addition, he also said that local taxis here often ask for more money from visitors and they should learn from the cabbies of Gangtok who strictly adhere to the rate chart.
The statistics of the Directorate of Tourism say that 68,5567 tourists including 68,0254 domestic and 5,313 foreign tourists visited Meghalaya in 2012 and 2016. The number went up to 83,9363, including 83,0887 domestic and 8,476 foreign tourists. Sharing his views on the overall tourism scenario in Meghalaya, founder chairman of Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF) RG Lyngdoh said it is time the people of the State take ownership of the tourism sector.
“People should not wait for Government’s intervention but take ownership of the sector which can generate huge opportunities for them,” he said.
“It’s only when people take ownership of the sector that they will realise its business potential,” Lyngdoh added.
Asked about instances when tourists in Meghalaya are not treated in a proper manner, he said all such instances are a hangover from the past where people were kept isolated and they were taught to be suspicious of outsiders.
“You can’t get rid of such mindset so easily. It cannot go until there is proper capacity building and awareness programmes for the people,” he said.
He added that people should be made to understand what tourism is all about.
“First of all people should be made understand about the difference between vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine. There has to be some balance as what food options Meghalaya will offer to the tourists,” he said.
Calling for an aggressive awareness of stakeholders involved in tourism sector, he said people who visit Meghalaya must be provided with quality accommodation.
Lyngdoh also lamented that despite being the State capital, Shillong does not even have public toilets in most places.
