The North East state of Meghalaya is aggressively looking to welcome tourists and investors to the state. The state is now promoting community driven sustainable tourism and is focusing on making it a haven for experiential tourism.
Speaking to T3, Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister, Government of Meghalaya said, “Tourism has to be promoted with the involvement of the community. Meghalaya has already formulated many such initiatives. One of our most famous attractions, the Mawlynnong Village, has been named the cleanest village in Asia. This has happened due to the involvement of every individual in the community. We also have the world famous Cherrapunji, which receives the highest rainfall, is of touristic interest. Therefore, community driven eco-tourism, rural tourism and based on that some more high end investment can create a complete eco system which can make Meghalaya one of the most sought after exclusive destination.”
The Chief Minister also urges investors to invest in the field of education, which can create the state as a hub for educational tourism. “The North East provides a huge potential for investments. One of our major focuses is on the educational tourism segment. Meghalaya is not only an environmental friendly destination but also safe. We can have investment in educational sector and make it a destination for high quality education. Apart from this we are also looking at health tourism, sports tourism and adventure tourism.”
With the new Government’s ‘Act East Policy’, there is a major focus on joining North East to the Railway map. In 2014, Meghalaya entered the Railway network with a route connecting Dudhnoi-Mendipathar. Sangma has also proposed to connect the state capital of Shillong to Guwahati in Assam which can bring in more traffic to the state.
Sangma added, “As far as connectivity is concerned, we have the best of roads in our state. Air connectivity wise there are 11 flights from Delhi to Guwahati, 16 flights from Kolkata to Guwahati and three flights from Mumbai to Guwahati. Guwahati is well connected to Meghalaya by road. Also, our own airport is in the process of expansion as the land which was required for it, has been acquired. Ideally not only the air connectivity, but the rail and road connectivity is also developing. We are also looking to connect Shillong with Guwahati by rail. We are suggesting that the whole rail connectivity in North East should culminate into a high end luxury product like the ‘Palace on Wheels’.”
Meghalaya is also keen to tap the film tourism segment. Sequel of the commercially successful Bollywood film ‘Rock on!!’ has been shot majorly in Shillong, Meghalaya. Sangma added, “There is a huge potential that exists for film tourism. Meghalaya is still an unexplored destination and this makes it unique. The Government is engaging with potential partners and already few of the filmmakers have visited our destination and shown interest. In addition we are also looking to create a positive eco system to make the destination viable for music and entertainment industry.”
