The famous Mawjymbuin cave in Mawsynram will reopen for tourists as soon as village authorities obtain permission from the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Speaking to Highland Post, headman of Mawsynram, AL Shangpliang, said that tourist inflow has started to pick up after Meghalaya reopened for tourism from September 1. However, Mawjymbuin remained closed, as it had been since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
“We will be sending the application (to the DC) this week because we did not know that we have to apply for permission to reopen the tourist spot,” Shangpliang said.
During the peak season, Mawjymbuin cave generates an average of Rs 20-30,000 in revenue a month from entry fees collected from visitors to the cave, which is popular with Hindu devotees for its stalagmites and stalactites that resemble lingams.
August and September are the peak months, which means that Mawjymbuin and the wider Mawsynram area have already missed out once again on the heaviest traffic.
Mawsynram, of course, is also blessed with scenic beauty, caves, and waterfalls that attract many tourists and is a popular place for those who have a passion for photography.
“We also have the dome-shaped rock at the cave with a flat top called Symper Rock. There are also so many naturally-formed waterfalls during the monsoon season that fascinate both the local and foreign tourists who comes to the area,” Shangpliang said, adding that another tourist spot that has started to pick up is the Krem Dam opposite Mawjymbuin cave where cavers, including some filmmakers from across the country and abroad, used to come and explore the cave.
Informing that Mawsynram is also famous for the ‘Khreng Khreng’ viewpoint, he, however, said that the coronavirus pandemic has shattered tourism activities and livelihoods.
Stall owners, shopkeepers and restaurateurs, besides homestay and guesthouse owners are all suffering. However, less than 50 percent of the population in Mawsynram have been vaccinated against Covid-19, which is around 3,500 people.
A useful step in combatting vaccine hesitancy, according to him, would be to print information pamphlets in the Khasi language because farmers and others in the area do not have time to attend awareness programmes.
