By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 24: Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday said there are indications that Meghalaya will witness a 70% increase in the tourist footfall in 2025.
He said this a day after “Travel Trends Report” published by global travel app Skyscanner said Shillong has overtaken Azerbaijan’s historic capital city Baku as the most popular destination for Indian travellers for the coming year.
“Shillong is now the number one preferred destination among the Indians which is a huge honour for Meghalaya. We are the preferred destination and by 2025 there are indications that we will have a 70% increase in the footfall of tourists visiting Meghalaya,” Lyngdoh said.
The Tourism minister said Shillong should be marketed as a brand destination.
“We are improving the tourist circuit across the state starting with Umiam, Sohra and Dawki and at the same time we are also engaging our youth to join the tourism initiative. The same will be visible in the next one month at important tourist centres,” Lyngdoh said.
He said the state government is funding projects to improve connectivity in those tourist sites which lack them at the moment.
“We have just done that in Mawthadraishan. These interventions will bear fruit soon and hopefully the expansion of the Shillong Airport will be a game-changer. Once that happens Meghalaya will become a global tourist destination,” he added.
