Guwahati: Meghalaya aims to make tourism a regulated industry in order to grow the economy. The Meghalaya Tourism Department strives to foster an environment that will draw tourists from all over the world who are interested in experiencing the region’s distinctive culture.
The state government intends to increase funding for the tourism sector, fortify relationships with financial institutions, and concentrate on building stakeholders’ capacity.
The breathtaking landscapes and variety of tourist attractions in Meghalaya are well known. The state government predicts that more domestic and foreign tourists will travel to the state in the near future.
An estimated 15 lakh tourists are anticipated by 2024, up from 12.7 lakh in 2019, which is likely to boost the state’s tourism economy.
The government is implementing programmes like ecotourism and the promotion of locally produced goods in an effort to upgrade facilities and infrastructure in a sustainable way. One of the key reasons for the tourism sector’s sluggish growth, according to a research of the sector, is a lack of accommodations.
The government has also put on a number of events, such as the Shillong Literary Festival and the Cherry Blossom Festival in an effort to draw tourists.
The Megha Kayak Festival which drew renowned kayakers from all over the world was recently held in the state as well.
The government has also started a number of initiatives to upgrade the infrastructure of the tourism sector and educate staff members to better serve tourists.
On the other hand, the tourism sector could be a big source of new jobs if the right training is offered. The department’s training partners include B-ABLE, Avenues, ETPL India, IHM & FCI, and IL&FS Education.
The training partners have recently taught these skills to close to 1,410 young people. 574 of them have been assigned to various positions both inside and outside the state. The goal for the current year is to educate and develop 2,000 young people.
The Homestay scheme was launched with the intention of giving skilled persons the chance to create their own business by building and running a homestay.
The plan was created in coordination with the PMEGP Program to make it easier to build 2500 homestays throughout the state and stimulate the state’s tourism industry. As part of the programme, the government would provide a subsidy of up to 70%, which is anticipated to speed up the development of tourism infrastructure in the state.