By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 2: The state government will hold a two-day conclave on tourism next week for stakeholders to air their grievances and concerns toward charting the growth path.
The conclave gains significance as the stakeholders have been miffed by members of a pressure group who forced many Assam-registered vehicles to return from Umtyngar on July 26, affecting the livelihoods of people dependent on tourism.
“We are holding the conclave next Tuesday and Wednesday. I will chair the inaugural session and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma will attend the second day’s programmes,” Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said when asked about the concerns raised by various tourism-specific associations over the current situation.
“We will invite all stakeholders in the tourism industry from transporters, hoteliers, resort owners to the guides at the local level and the Dorbar Shnongs, especially the localities and villages recording huge tourist footfalls,” he said.
Earlier, 15 organisations and traditional bodies under the banner of the Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum resolved to stand up against pressure groups who dealt tourism a blow by intimidating, restricting the movement and threatening the security of tourists.
The leaders of these organisations met with Sangma and Lyngdoh on Thursday to condemn the July 26 incident.
Lyngdoh said the demand for commercial vehicles in the state has increased due to the increasing inflow of tourists. The state is short of more than 300 such vehicles at any given point in time, he added.