Missing Tourist

News of a Hungarian tourist simply disappearing without a trace once again shines the light on the tourism practices and principles being practised in Meghalaya. It is not known how a foreign tourist – a first- time visitor- could land up at a tourist destination in Meghalaya and venture out on his own. There are pitfalls in visiting a place without a guide to warn a tourist of dangerous treks and that includes the health status of an individual tourist. It’s not easy to go down 3000 steps to Nongriat to watch the splendour of the Double-Decker living root bridge. Most people go down early before the sun is up and retrace their steps back to the top after midday when the heat has subsided. Many tourists coming from other states of India are seen returning halfway because they find it daunting to go down those 3000 steps. They fear that they might not be able to climb back since they are not used to such steep climbs. That’s one important reason why every destination needs professionally trained guides who will warn the tourists of the possible dangers of exerting themselves beyond a point or even of slipping and tumbling down the stairs and landing up with serious injuries.
That a tourist would be missing since March 29 and has not yet been found despite great effort by the police to scour every place including the nearby caves in case the tourist entered any one of them and might have got claustrophobia and collapsed inside. Anything is possible when people who are new to a place go out and explore such places on their own. The point of this incident is whether the communities running such destinations have learnt any lessons. Hotels where tourists stay should have all the details of the tourists including which places they plan to visit after checking out of the hotel. But in this community, asking questions is not a strong point. A tourist is asked minimum questions because people believe they should not be intrusive. In any other country tourists cannot just take off alone and explore any place without someone keeping track of their movements.
However, this is not to say that traveling solo is not a practice. Many tourists prefer to travel solo because they value the silence and don’t want to be bombarded with explanations but to discover the destination themselves. In fact, travelling solo is an exercise of self-discovery, that gives the tourist a unique perspective about the place. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that traveling alone does come with its own set of risks. The absence of a travel companion can make a person more vulnerable to various challenges, including accidents and other security threats, which include difficulties in handling emergencies in case of a health problem and also of navigating unfamiliar environments. Hopefully the Hungarian tourist will be found sooner than later.