State govt for regulation of tourist footfall

SHILLONG, April 4: Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Friday said there are standing SOPs to check the inflow of tourists into the state, while making it clear that the department concerned wants to ensure that the fragile ecosystem is not disturbed.
Reacting to the need to regulate the tourist footfall in the state, he said the problem could be that the state government does not directly run these tourist sites, which are managed and owned by the community, associations, and Dorbar Shnongs.
He said the government held interactive sessions with the stakeholders to underscore the need to regulate the entry of visitors to the Double Decker root bridge and the Arwah cave. “Our focus is on low numbers and high value,” he said, adding that the quality of tourists matters more than the quantity.
He said tourism in Meghalaya has reached a state where Sohra alone has more than 350 homestays. “Given the tourism growth, we expect the expansion of the Shillong Airport to be completed by mid-2026,” he added.