Meghalaya will develop tourism on a hub-and-spoke model to become one of the top 10 states in the next ten years, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said.
He was addressing a function to inaugurate Taj Vivanta Meghalaya, the State’s first five-star hotel here today. The chief minister said based on the model, the government has identified Sohra, Jowai, Shillong, Umiam and Tura as “hubs” and the nearby rural tourist destinations as “spokes”.
Stating that the State government wanted to transform Meghalaya into the most preferred eco-tourism destination, Sangma said that the government has taken a number of initiatives to augment the accommodation infrastructure in the State; which includes construction of large resorts and tourism infrastructure in Sohra (East Khasi Hills), Mawlyndep and Nongmahir (Ri-Bhoi), Nongkhnum (West Khasi Hills), Shnongpdeng and Thadlaskein (West Jaiñtia Hills) Sakaladuma (West Garo Hills), and Pelgawari (South West Garo Hills). He informed that tourism infrastructure and amenities at a cost of Rs. 5 -10 crores each will also be set up in several villages.
Sangma said in order to further augment the accommodation infrastructure for tourists visiting Meghalaya, the ‘Home-stay Scheme’ has been launched in which 2,500 home-stays will be built in the State over the next five years in convergence with the PMEGP scheme.
He spoke about a subsidy of 35 per cent given on loans of up to Rs. 10 lakh by the State government and said this is over and above the 35 per cent subsidy being given by the Government of India under PMEGP. He said residents stand to earn monthly revenue of up to Rs. 50,000 by paying an EMI of just Rs. 5,000. The government has received over 480 applications to date and has sanctioned Rs. 7.1 crores to build about 75 homestays, he added.
Sangma said the inauguration of Taj Vivanta in the city was a “truly momentous occasion in the history of Meghalaya” after a long wait of 36 years.
According to him, construction of the hotel had been ongoing since 1986, but could only be completed after a strong push delivered by the current MDA government.
Built within an area of about 8,800 square metres, the hotel located at Khyndai Lad has 101 rooms and other facilities including a specialty restaurant, coffee shops, bar, retail shops, and a banquet hall.
The hotel has been leased out for a period of 33 years on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode to Indian Hotel Company Limited, a part of the Tata Group which owns the Taj Group of Hotels.
Another upcoming five-star hotel ‘Courtyard’ to be operated by Marriott is being constructed at Jail Road and is expected to be completed by this year.
