The state government is continuing to seek a balance between Meghalaya’s increasing popularity as a tourism destination with the need for the industry to be sustainable in the long-run.
Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said that Meghalaya’s tourism success story has been gaining momentum and Shillong has been ranked as the most favoured tourism destination for 2025. He credited the rising popularity of the state to a surge in both domestic and international visitors, including prominent celebrities and performers.
“The tourism success story has been gaining momentum and it’s reflected in the growing interest in Meghalaya. In Sohra alone, we now have more than 350 operational homestays,” Lyngdoh said, highlighting the community-driven model of tourism in the state.
With tourism on the rise, the minister said there is the need to simultaneously improve supporting infrastructure, especially air connectivity. “We hope the expansion of the Umroi airport runway will be completed by mid-2026,” he added, following a series of high-level meetings between the Centre and the Chief Minister.
However, Lyngdoh also acknowledged the challenges of balancing tourism growth with environmental sustainability. “We already have standing SOPs (standard operating procedures) to regulate tourist flow because we do not want our fragile ecosystem to be disturbed,” he said. “Our focus is on low-volume, high-value tourism where the emphasis is not on the number of tourists but the quality of the experience.”
Unlike in other states, many tourism services in Meghalaya are managed by local communities, including village councils and associations. “It’s not the Tourism Department or MTDC (Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation) that operates these units, it’s the Dorbar Shnongs and grassroots stakeholders,” Lyngdoh explained.
To bridge this gap, the department has conducted several interactive sessions and training programs over the past year aimed at helping local stakeholders regulate visitor entry and maintain ecological balance. “This is an ongoing exercise. We’ve shared our vision with the Dorbars and emphasised the importance of responsible tourism,” the minister said.
