BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 16 OCTOBER 2022
The chief secretary of Meghalaya, Donald Phillips Wahlang has announced that there has been a record tourist footfall this year so far and has been highest amongst all the North eastern states.
This year so far 15 lakh tourists have visited Meghalaya and majority of them are domestic travellers. Only 411 foreigners have visited the state in 2022. Two more months are still to go in this year.
Compared to 12.71 lakh visitors in 2019 and 25,800 foreign tourists visiting Meghalaya, the CS, D.P.Wahlang said.
Due to covid 1-9 protocols the large number of foreigners who normally used to visit this state earlier has not yet turned up.
The Chief Minister of Meghalaya said that he is in favour of promoting and packaging the entire North Eastern region as a single tourist destination.
“ In one single North east package the tourists can visit hotspot tourist destinations like Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Kaziranga in Assam, Loktak Lake in Manipur and Shillong in Meghalaya. The different state governments and tourist departments of North eastern States should work together in making a single North East Tourism package touching all the states,” Conrad Sangma said.
The CM further added that the Act East Policy of the Narendra Modi Government is helping in promoting tourism in North eastern states. “ The centre and the states now should look into the issues of starting direct flight services to Dhaka, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangkok from the North Eastern states so that the tourists from neighbouring countries can visit here easily,” he added.
Very soon the Meghalaya government will announce a tourism policy like another North eastern state of Sikkim. “ We are in the process of formulating a policy to boost tourism very soon,” he concluded.
Shillong has registered the highest number of tourist footfalls in the state of Meghalaya.
Already a five star hotel has been inaugurated in Meghalaya, Vivanta Meghalaya in Shillong and another five star hotel, Courtyard by Marriott is on the pipeline.
These luxury properties will help Meghalaya to further boost its tourism and attract high valued customers.
ABOUT MEGHALAYA TOURISM:
Meghalaya, the abode of clouds, is one of the most beautiful states in North-Eastern India offering a variety of sights, activities, food and festivals to the tourists. Well known for Cherrapunji, the place which receives one of the maximum rainfall in the world, Meghalaya can mesmerise you with its hills, valleys, lakes, caves and waterfalls which when combined with the beautiful clouds, give it a very serene, beautiful look.
Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya, and it is the most urbanised area tourists will see in the entire state. Shillong has a lot of leftover British colonial influence that is evident from the plentiful British architecture. Owing to the magnificent lakes all around the town, and the hills surrounding it, Shillong has often been called the Scotland of the East. Cherrapunji is famous for its rainfall, and it used to be the wettest place on Earth before the title was taken over by Mawsynram, which is less than 100 kilometres away from Cherrapunji. The Living Double-decker Root Bridge is a famous attraction in Cherrapunji, where trekking and hiking activities are offered for tourists.
BIGGEST FESTIVAL OF MEGHALAYA:
WANGALA – The 100 Drums Festival of Meghalaya:
Venue : Garo Hill in Meghalaya, India.
Wangala Festival of Meghalaya is a most popular festival among the Garos of Meghalaya, India. Wangala Festival is a harvest festival held in honour of Saljong, the Sun-god of fertility. The celebration of the Wangala Festival marks the end of a period of toil, which brings good output from the fields. It also signifies the onset of winter.
HOW TO REACH :
By Road – Meghalaya is well connected to major cities in India, via the roads. You can reach Shillong by taking the NH37 from Guwahati (also known as Assam Trunk Road), followed by the GS road, then toward NH40 until you enter Meghalaya via Nongpoh. You can drive yourself or choose private and government-operated buses.
By Rail – The Guwahati railway station is the closest to Shillong. You’ll need to take a taxi from the station to reach Shillong, which is 100 kms away. Luckily, the Guwahati railway station is well connected to many major cities in India.
By Air – If you’re looking to approach Meghalaya from the sky, you’ll need to fly to the Umroi Airport in Barapani – which is 25 to 30 kilometers away from Shillong. This airport has limited connection to most cities. The closest major airport is the Guwahati airport, which is 125 kilometres away. Outside the Guwahati airport, taxis are waiting to whisk you to Shillong.
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