Mawkdok villagers get trained on rural tourism, socio-economic devp

SHILLONG, June 22: Locals in Mawkdok village were on Wednesday provided training on ‘Rural Tourism & Socio-Economic Development’.
According to a statement, the programme was organised by Minot Multi-Function Society and was sponsored by the state government under the Voluntary Action Fund 2016-2017.
“It was organised with an objective to make the villagers aware on the importance of our physical environment and a wide range of natural resources for promoting tourism of a particular area and how to tap these resources in order to increase their livelihood,” the statement said.
The training programme was attended by over 50 villagers comprising labourers, shopkeepers, carpenters, daily-wage labourers, students, et al.
Chairperson of Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum, Alan West Kharkongor, during the programme, spoke at length on the importance of preserving resources for sustainable tourism. He said doing so will benefit both the current and upcoming generations.
Kharkongor also spoke about rural tourism resources management.
Vice-Principal of Institute of Hotel Management, Shillong, B Kharshiing, on the other hand, emphasised on the importance of hospitality for sustainable tourism.
Informing that the region has a lot of scope for rural tourism, which is capable of increasing the economic development of the area and the region as a whole, she accentuated the need to set up more homestays, guest houses, hotels and restaurants.