Tourist numbers hit a record high of 15 lakh or 1.5 million in Meghalaya last year, with further growth expected in 2022 as well.
Chief Secretary Donald P Wahlang referenced the figures here today during the inauguration of the Vivanta hotel. Wahlang said that Meghalaya sees higher footfall than other states in the North East.
Meghalaya has seen tourism become a real mainstay of the economy in recent years but it experienced a severe downturn in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2016 Meghalaya recorded 8.3 lakh tourists, of which 8,400 were from abroad. In 2019, the year before the coronavirus struck, there were 12.71 lakh (53 per cent increase) tourists who visited the state, of which 25,800 (207 per cent) were foreigners.
Despite Covid still being a severe issue for several months of 2021, the number of visitors rebounded and hit a record 15 lakh. However, the downturn in foreign tourists continued, with just 411 counted in official figures.
The sharp uptick in domestic travellers has been dubbed ‘revenge tourism’ as people are making up for lost chances to travel during the pandemic. Continuing travel restrictions, hesitancy, global inflation and the war in Ukraine are some of the reasons why Indians are still reluctant or unable to travel abroad for their holidays and are thus visiting domestic locales.
Wahlang said that high-end tourism is becoming more important to the state’s economy and the inauguration of the Vivanta hotel will benefit that. “We are all aware, especially from the tourism industry, that 40 percent or more of tourism in India is MICE tourism, that is ‘Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions’ and Shillong is a hot destination for MICE, starting with this hotel,” the Chief Secretary added.
The idea has often been floated before that Meghalaya should aim to attract fewer but higher spending tourists, with Bhutan the oft-cited example. On the other hand, however, the state government has continued to promote homestays and bed-and-breakfasts, which is a bit of a contradiction.
