Shillong, Oct 21: Homestays will boost the economic activity of the locals as well as benefit the tourists and are an important part of Meghalaya’s rural tourism strategy, Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira said today.
The minister said that in Resubelpara, his own constituency, there are no hotels but tourists are accommodated in homestays, which allows them to enjoy the beauty of remote rural locations.
He also said that his department will try to encourage cave tourism in the state by making these structures accessible. Shira pointed out that he has never been inside Siju Cave but was told that there is a lot of water inside and there are difficult places to access.
“So, even if tourists are willing to go inside they can’t, so something has to be done so that every tourist can go to the end of the cave,” Shira said.
Tourism has been a great boon to the people of Meghalaya and has the potential to transform lives for the better, the minister opined. He pointed to Sohra as an example of this. When he first visited Sohra in 1965 there were no hotels but now many good hotels are there now and people have become rich, he explained.
He added that the upgrade of Umroi Airport and Baljek in Tura will allow larger aircraft to land, bringing in more tourists, and that improved infrastructure, such as bridges and roads, will enhance connectivity within the region.
