Importance of rural tourism highlighted at awareness camp

TURA: With the objective to create sustainable livelihood through rural tourism for the rural poor, a one-day workshop cum awareness programme for the promotion and development of Rural Tourism through Co-operative Societies was held at Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Hall, Mendipathar on Friday.
Members from SHGs, NGOs, and unemployed youths attended and benefitted from the programme.
The programme was jointly organised by the Office of Registrar of Cooperatives Societies with the Meghalaya Village Development & Promotion Tourism Cooperative Societies (MVDPTCS), Shillong.
Speaking on the importance of rural tourism through cooperatives, J Kharsahnoh, JRCS, Shillong said that Rural Tourism is the only industry which aids in preserving and conserving natural resources, respects the culture and values of the rural people making the rural people the prime beneficiaries in terms of socio- economic upliftment. According to her, rural tourism gene-rates various employment opportunities and at the same time beauty of natures can be preserved.  She therefore urged the gathering to collaborate among themselves and form tourism cooperative societies for promotion and development of rural tourism in their respective areas.
Informing the gathering that there are around seven hundred co-operative societies registered under the Assistant Registrar of Co-operatives Societies, East Garo Hills which is also presently covering North Garo Hills, R N Rymbai, SRCS, said that there is not a single co-operative society for Tourism that has come to the fore. He therefore hoped that the seed of Rural Tourism is implanted in the minds of the people encouraging them to thereby collectively form a tourism cooperative society for the growth and well-being of the people as well as for conservation of the environment.
Topics like Skill Development on Rural Tourism, its importance as a key promoter for economic opportunities, Role of Tourism Department and its objectives to harness the vast untapped Rural Tourism prospective of the State and Procedure of Registration of Cooperative Societies were also deliberated.