Shillong, Sep 14: The Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF) has reached out to the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) to try to help defuse an agitation against outside tourist taxis that is meant to start on Tuesday.
The AKMTTA is poised to impose a ban of its own on the plying of tourist taxis from outside Meghalaya in areas outside major towns like Shillong. The association’s point of view is that local tourist taxis are not enjoying the boom in tourism in Meghalaya because visitors tend to rely on tourist taxis hired from Assam for the most part when travelling through this state. The AKMTTA wants to restrict outside tourist taxis to drop visitors to places like Shillong where local drivers can then take the tourists to the different tourist sites.
The MTDF and the state government are not in favour of this as they fear that visitors will be put off by higher costs and the need to switch vehicles. They also fear that it will elicit retaliatory action from Assam-based organisations. Indeed, a group representing tourist taxis there has already threatened to do what it can to dissuade tourists from visiting Meghalaya altogether and warned darkly that other commercial operators will effectively strangle Meghalaya by not transporting goods, vegetables, petrol, gas cylinders, etc.
The unilateral move by the AKMTTA is thus concerning the MTDF. “With utmost respect, we submit that such measures set an undesirable precedent and may inadvertently hamper the growth of tourism in our state. Tourists visit Meghalaya not just for its scenic beauty, but also for the warmth and seamless experience they receive. Any restrictions that create obstacles to their movement could discourage many tourists from visiting the state thereby severely affecting the future growth of tourism in Meghalaya,” the forum said in its letter.
It also said that an airport capable of handling larger capacity and longer range jet aeroplanes (the current Umroi runway is only capable of taking smaller propeller planes) and a “luxury high speed railway line” would boost Meghalaya tourism and, particularly, the local tourist taxi operators.
Currently, most visitors to Meghalaya arrive via Guwahati in Assam and therefore use Assam-registered taxis for the most part. The airport runway’s expansion is under process but the railway line is utterly stalled given opposition from pressure groups.
The AKMTTA demand is not a new one and the state government has called for discussions between all stakeholders to chart a way forwards. However, the association appears to have lost its patience and decided on a unilateral ban.
“Tourism, by its very nature, is a multi-stakeholder industry. Apart from transport operators, it includes hotel, resort, guest house and homestay owners, restaurants, cafés, guides, and countless small businesses and artisans,” the MTDF said. “Each of these sectors has an equal stake in how tourism is shaped and conducted in Meghalaya. Therefore, discussions and decisions on tourism policies or regulations must be inclusive, with inputs from all stakeholders.”
The forum called on all stakeholders, including tourist taxi drivers, to work hand-in-hand to grow the tourism sector in Meghalaya. Working together by “enhancing transport facilities, accommodation standards, food services and cultural experiences – we can create a sustainable model of tourism that benefits everyone and helps grow tourism to such an extent that we do not face huge drop in visitors during the off seasons.”
