Shillong, Sep 28: Meghalaya recorded domestic tourist arrivals of 15.86 lakh in 2024, an increase of 1.83 lakh on 2023’s figure, statistics from the Union Ministry of Tourism have revealed.
Meghalaya registered 14.03 lakh domestic tourists in 2023. The increase year on year amounts to 13.04 per cent, which is actually one of the slowest rates of growth in the North East. Nevertheless, Meghalaya retained its position as the second-most visited state among domestic tourists in the North East, well behind Assam (76.08 lakh) but just ahead of Sikkim (15.40 lakh).
Mizoram (101.74 per cent), Tripura (64.07 per cent), Nagaland (25.87 per cent) and Sikkim (16.60 per cent) all saw higher growth rates than Meghalaya. Assam was practically flat (-0.06 per cent), while Arunachal Pradesh (-16.40 per cent) and strife-torn Manipur (-49.56 per cent) all saw significant decreases.
The number of foreign visitors to Meghalaya increased by just 3,000, from 20,000 in 2023 to 23,000 last year. Even this small increase represented growth of 15.24 per cent, putting Meghalaya fourth from the top behind Mizoram (44.22 per cent), Tripura (36.15 per cent) and Nagaland (19.01 per cent). Tripura (91,000), Sikkim (85,000) and Assam (27,000) all had more foreign tourists than Meghalaya.
The Union Ministry of Tourism compiles the number of domestic and foreign tourist visits to different states and Union territories (UTs) based on the information received from them. The compilation of domestic tourism statistics is undertaken by the Departments of Tourism of state governments and UT administrations. These statistics are generally based on the monthly returns collected from hotels and other accommodation establishments.
All India trends and data obtained from other administrative sources like Bureau of Immigration have also been appropriately used to estimate domestic and foreign tourist visits to the states/UTs, wherever required.
