By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 29: The recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and the high-profile visit of cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar to Meghalaya have given a significant boost to the state’s tourism sector, with hotels, homestays and resorts packed to capacity.
“After the Pahalgam incident, there is a trend for people to move to Northeast India, and when you say Northeast India, the prime destination is Meghalaya,” revealed Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum (MRTF) president, Alan West Kharkongor, on Thursday.
“This incident in Pahalgam has moved people to our state and, of course, the visit of star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Being a star, he has a great number of followers, and I think his visit has made him a brand ambassador to the state, and people are coming in more with his encouragement to visit Meghalaya,” he added.
Kharkongor, a tourism expert particularly in the Sohra region, informed that the tourist inflow keeps on increasing each passing year.
“Last year’s data says we received around 16 lakhs, and this year it will grow by one or two lakhs. That is why we have to prepare ourselves properly to ensure the safety of our visitors,” he said.
Emphasising the role of local bodies and traditional institutions, Kharkongor said, “They can play a big role in bringing a proper system to ensure that people come and enjoy, and sad incidents like the person from Hungary and now the Indore couple going missing can be avoided. If we can do that, Meghalaya is always the best place for people to come and visit.”