SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said he would soon pay a visit to South Korea and acquire knowledge on power generation, waste management and land reclamation.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the fourth edition of India International Cherry Blossom Festival on Wednesday. It may be mentioned that South Korea is the partner country for this year’s festival.
Stating that Meghalaya is a popular tourist destination, he said, “We want to focus on natural strengths, environment, natural beauty of the state and enhance tourists experience to ensure that the tourism model is sustainable”.
He spoke about his Bangladesh experience and having visited Jaintiapur and the jail where Khasi freedom fighter, U Tirot Sing was imprisoned in Bangladesh.
Sangma said a number of tourism projects were being taken up by the tourism department such as log-houses.
He said that other things in the pipeline were to develop a laser light show in Ward’s Lake and it will take 2-3 months time to be complete and he said that the water would act as a screen while depicting the history of Meghalaya.
He also said that another technique to enhance tourist’s experiences was cable cars project that was in the pipeline.
Guest of Honour, Lakhmen Rymbui, said that the Cherry Blossoms had captured the fascination and appreciation of people all around the world and the festival was an occasion of pride and nurturing the creativity and talents of the people and showcase the art and culture of the State.
He also added that in the next few days the government would be engaged in bilateral talks with South Korea, the partner country of Cherry Blossom Festival 2019.
The Chief Minister also released a book, ‘Trees of Shillong’ by Forest and Environment department during the occasion.