By Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh
The murder of Raja Raghuvanshi was both tragic and complex. While others are milking money and raising their TRPs from this incident, I must commend the stakeholders, especially the citizens of Hima Sohra and the State, for handling it tactfully, responsibly and with compassion. Undoubtedly, local intelligence from Police personnel down to tourist guides and community participation have helped solve the murder case which spanned over three States as of now.
Meghalaya’s USP for Tourism Industry: Meghalaya’s USP for tourism is found in its natural bounty and beauty. Kong Helen Giri, in her book, The Khasis Under the British Rule (1990), describes to us the vivid beauty in these words, “Khasi and Jaintia Hills is a plateau of rolling grasslands, meandering rivers, green rolling hills sloping towards the plains and valleys with deep gorges and precipitous ravines. It has a unique and fascinating beauty, typical and natural in its own way. Coming down from the plains, one feels delighted and refreshed to pass through the sweet scented breeze of the whispering pines…The caves and hot springs full of wonder, the crystal streams and springs all add to the inexhaustible stock of natural beauty. It abounds in magnificent cascading waterfalls, fringed with wide variety of beautiful ferns, moss and orchids…”
Similarly, Milton Sangma, another historian and authority on Garo History and Culture, describes the Garo Hills as, “gifted with beautiful waterfalls and lakes which abound with fishes and eels etc. It has also beautiful plateaus and landscapes connected with traditional folklores and religious beliefs…The Garo Hills are the abode of wild animals and birds, such as elephants, tigers, leopards, wild pigs, wild cats, deer of various kinds, bison, wild goats…There are also many rare and interesting birds including hornbills, partridges, pheasants, teals, snipes, geese, duck, drongos etc. The Hills are also rich in variegated flora, orchids of various kinds and other medicinal herbs…” (Milton Sangma, History and Culture of the Garos, 1984).
The footfall of tourists in the State is expected to rise this year and apparently Meghalaya’s tourism industry looks very promising than ever. Investment in tourism sector in the State has increased manifolds and citizens are upfront in investing in it with government’s support. For now private local investments are of medium and small scale in the form of establishing homestays, resorts, “dukan Sha and Ja” (food and tea stall), cafes, restaurants, private and community parks, handicrafts stalls and management of amenities in tourist spots etc. No big investments have been made so far, excepting government’s promotion by organising international concerts, festivals etc, providing subsidized tourists’ cabs, Meghalaya Homestay scheme and infrastructures like roads etc.
Although, as per reports (2023-24) the contribution of tourism to State’s GDP was only 4.1% and accounted for a meagre 2.87 % of the total employment, but tourism can be considered as major player in creating employment and income generation activities in the State. There is no data available to ascertain the exact number of established homestays, however the Government of Meghalaya through the homestay scheme aims to construct 5000 homestay facilities between the years 2023-24 and 2027-28. The Government has also projected to build 1000 homestays in the year 2023-24. Let us assume that the 1000 homestays promised by the Government had been built and commissioned. On an average, if one homestay earns Rs 3000 per day and in 30 days the turnover would be Rs 90,000 and 1000 homestays will generate a turnover of Rs 90,000000 monthly. Further, if one homestay employs on an average three workers then 1000 homestays can absorb 3000 workers. But again, what is the condition of workers who are working in tourism sector in the State? Are they being paid well? Are their rights and entitlements being protected by law?
The Question of Viability and Sustainability of Tourism Industry: The numbers above look huge, but the viability and sustainability of Tourism industry is always a critical concern. Tourism non-viability can manifest in various forms such as over-tourism impacting natural ecosystem and local communities or tourism dependent economies facing risks from external factors like natural disaster or political instability. Undeniably, tourism industry is a fragile one and is susceptible to a number of internal and external shocks. Recently, the wild cat agitation which had prevented tourist taxis from outside to enter tourist places in Sohra had nearly upset the entire tourism industry and could have resulted in loss of crores of revenue. Even a simple and irresponsible reporting on the tragic death of Raja Raghuvanshi which had projected Meghalaya as a crime-infested state had nearly pushed the tourism economy into a tailspin.
By and large Meghalaya is an ecotourism destination and its growth solely depends on the gifts of nature. Therefore, the sustainability of our ecology is crucial not just for the sake of tourism economy, but for the survival of the indigenous ethnicity, culture and practices. The degraded state of the environment is very alarming and unless some radical measures are taken by every stake holder to arrest this environmental decay, the indigenous people of Meghalaya are heading for a disaster sooner than we thought. Way back in 1984 Milton Sangma had lamented about the threat that Garo hills was facing due to wanton destruction of forests by unscrupulous administrators and businessmen. Against this backdrop the tourism economy in Meghalaya is evolving and how do we balance economic benefits with environmental preservation and social responsibility?
Sex and Crime: The Moral Challenge
Although in Meghalaya sex work or prostitution cannot be directly linked to tourism and there is no data or evidences or research studies conducted to prove the existence of sex tourism in Meghalaya. But sex work is the underbelly of Shillong and this clandestine trade is thriving and caters to both “local” and “non-local” clienteles. Walking around at night from the Khyndai Lad point unto the road stretch behind the Assembly office on a weekend one would be accosted by a good number of pimps who would facilitate instant appointments with sex workers. There is nothing judgemental here, but this area is an open space where pimping/offering sex service for a price is a daily affair to satisfy the carnal desires of both “locals residents” and “visitors”. Perhaps there are also those who operate privately and independently via phones etc and they may outnumber those who cajole their clients in the streets. However, specific data on the numbers of sex workers in Meghalaya is lacking, but in 2023 the police crack-down on alleged sex workers in and around Khyndai Lad area had compelled the State to respond via its Minister, “that any woman that stands on the street cannot be termed as sex worker as this needs verification. We need…to verify before you can consider every woman standing on the road as a sex worker… there should be specific parameters and indicators to suggest such…”
The State has responded maturely when it comes to sex work in the city, but more than that it has to adopt multi-pronged approaches to address this issue and with the sharp rise of HIV/AIDS infections, the State must take top priority in policy making and implementing various schemes for the benefit of sex workers, especially female sex workers.
Sex trade is as old as human civilization and today the sex industry ranks third in the illegal businesses that bring huge profits, after drugs and arms trafficking. Ciprian Nimara describes, “sex tourism as a well known phenomenon worldwide, being a silent industry, but in full expansion. It is often assimilated to activities in the field of prostitution due to the use of services offered by this industry in the destination country.” Perhaps this will be the greatest challenge for moralistic Meghalaya. Is the society ready to be open minded and in the near future allow sex tourism to take centre stage? Or will it remain conservative as ever? And how moral policing will impact the growing tourism economy in Meghalaya?
Crime acts as a significant impediment to tourism by negatively impacting tourist safety, destination image and ultimately, tourist footfalls and revenue. A perceived or actual increase in crime can deter potential visitors and discourage repeat visits, leading to economic losses and reputational damage for affected destinations. Crime, including theft, assault and fraud directly affects tourists’ safety and experiences, making them less likely to return to the destination or recommend it to others.
The other recent incident of crime which the Meghalaya police were able to crack was the case of theft of materials worth lakh of rupees and fifty thousand in cash which were stolen from the vehicle used by the tourists and parked by the roadside near an eatery in Mawblei, Shillong.
Another big challenge for the State is to ensure that Meghalaya is free not only from tourism related crimes, but also to contain the fluid political situation which may lead to breakdown in law and order.