By Benjamin Lyngdoh
The Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) is a trade exhibition providing a platform to state government tourism departments/agencies to showcase and promote their respective destinations. Although prospective tourists can find a lot of information about destinations in India (and foreign countries in the middle-east, etc), it is primarily a business-to-business (B2B) medium for tourism service providers such as travel agencies, tour and transport operators, hoteliers and accommodation managers, airlines, destination management organizations, etc to come together and do extensive networking. It also provides a means to evaluate where Meghalaya stands as compared to other destinations. The Hyderabad TTF, 2022 is significant for Meghalaya as it was awarded ‘Most Promising New Destination’ which is indeed a matter of great pride. But, this accolade does come with a few concerns. These are important as it would determine whether Meghalaya tourism would be able to live up to the ‘promise’.
The devil is in the details
A promise is a futuristic commitment to deliver something or to do something. It is a contract entered in good faith between Meghalaya tourism and the prospective tourists. As joyous the occasion and a reason to celebrate, the award also revives concerns which act as bottlenecks to tourism progress. To cut a long story short, the award highlights two things. First, it concerns the tourist whereby they would expect an enriching tourism experience beyond the sights and sounds and learning from the destination. Now, it is not only about the attraction such as the seven sisters’ falls at Sohra or the adventure activities at Shnongpdeng. It is about the whole experience encompassing transportation, accommodation, food and beverages, professionalism, service quality, etc. It is a 24×7 thing. The heightened expectation of experiences would be evaluated not only on the basis of the beauty of the place; rather, the whole range of services that defines the travel in totality. Second, it concerns the development strategies whereby the tourism stakeholders’ (from the government to the service providers, etc) will have to synergise for ensuring an enriching experience to the tourist. The issue that needs addressing now is what blueprints and strategies are needed to deliver on the promise and remain competitive? At the top of the pecking order are micro problem areas like training of human resources and a focus on cleanliness and hygiene.
Learn and guard against
Today, the good thing about Meghalaya tourism is that all stakeholders agree that there is a need to move away from mass tourism towards other alternative forms. The nature-based tourism resources are unfit for mass tourism. A focus on alternatives like ecotourism (where tourists travel in small groups) is suitable. It will ensure sustainability of the destination and livelihoods of the stakeholders. However, this is easier said than done. Observations have shown that when the lure of money sets in then thoughts of sustainability and responsible tourism goes out the window. For example, when Mawlynnong entered the tourism map in 2004-05 there was a focus on best practices, responsible tourism with a plan to moderate the number of tourists visiting per day. This noble thought lasted only for a while. With the passage of time, the uneasy commercialization of tourism impacted upon privacy, peace, aesthetics, host behaviour, waste disposal, etc. Although Mawlynnong is fit for ecotourism, it has become an unpleasant case of mass tourism. There is need to learn from this. In relation to guarding against, take the case of Nongmahir in Ri Bhoi. It is a stunning attraction and not that popular till date. This presents an opportunity to practice ecotourism from its early days. In a recent talk with the boatmen at Nongmahir, it was encouraging to learn of their focus on ecotourism and sustainability. Hopefully, the resolve will remain as against the temptations of quick monetary gains.
A tourism development framework
A crucial element that is missing from Meghalaya is a tourism framework. The advantage of having a framework is that it defines the specifics which need focus without grappling with everything. One of the reasons for the absence of a framework is because tourism in Meghalaya is considered only a business tool. Anyone can start a tourism business. It is not considered as a development tool. There are no efforts to answer the question, ‘what tourism can do for development in the long-term’. What are the tangibles we would like to see develop in our communities? Tangibles like construction of schools and toilets, better health facilities, better village roads and pathways, better lighting, preservation and reclamation of forest, etc. There is a failure with regards to looking into the tourism development indices. So, what is the frame with which the progress of tourism would be mapped? This depends on the strengths of the tourism resources and the opportunities available. The strength of Meghalaya lies in the community and natural beauty. As a result, the development framework would entail capacity building of the communities and emphasis on ecotourism. Today, many communities are engaged in rural/village tourism without much knowledge and hand-holding. The services are not up to the mark and tilting towards mass tourism. This is a concern as studies have shown that once mass tourism enters a destination, it is difficult to reverse the trend.
A case for regulation
Tourism regulation is a sticking point. There are stakeholders that advocate for tourism to be unregulated. The thought process is to let tourism develop as it is. They point that tourism and its activities have been growing without regulation. But, the ground reality is that tourism is unorganized with no stakeholder database, growth has not benefited the communities and the impact on the environment is massive. There is no system of licensing to vouch for the credentials and skills of the service providers. Tourism in Meghalaya is a merry-go-round wherein anyone can enter and exit as per their wish. It has been unregulated for the last 33 years and its sorry outcomes are visible. It would be fair to say that it is time to try out at least some regulation for the next 5 years. A starting point can be a regulation on waste management, environment friendly establishment of tourism properties and quota-based entry of tourist into sensitive natural resources like caves. The outcomes of this can then be compared with the data of the previous years. It will not be surprising to find that regulation helps. It is time for the government of Meghalaya to learn from European Union countries and realize the benefits of regulation. In addition, regulation will help in streamlining tourism with other developmental sectors like agriculture, horticulture, rural development, forest conservation, culture, trade and crafts, etc. In the end, Meghalaya has missed the opportunity for proper tourism policy and planning since the 1990s. Today, the opportunity still exists. It is time to get the act right. After all, a promise is easy to make, but living up to it is a different ball game altogether!
(The writer teaches at NEHU; Email – [email protected])