A focus on the quality rather than the quantity of the visitors makes tourism in an ecologically sensitive state like Meghalaya a more sustainable activity, state tourism minister Bah Paul Lyngdoh said.
Meghalaya Tourism Minister Bah Paul Lyngdoh in a recent interview discussed the “plethora of adventure tourism offerings” in the state. These include caving in some of the longest caves in the world, exciting water sports like kayaking, canoeing and rowing at waterbodies such as Umiam Lake and on rivers in destinations like Dawki, and others.
Lyngdoh also emphasised the availability of opportunities for mountaineering, rock climbing as well as gentler nature trails accessible to all visitors. No tourists visiting Meghalaya should miss an opportunity to go trekking in the state, he said. He talked about the David Scott Trail in detail, which is one of the best-known trails in the state. Started by an English gentleman from the East India Company in pre-independence times, the trail is easily accessed from Shillong. Lyngdoh mentioned that these trails are well maintained and there are plans to declare them as heritage sites.
Lyngdoh further applauded the initiative behind the Adventure Tourism Meet. He said that such a platform allows Meghalaya to introduce itself to the rest of India. Apart from that, he highlighted the importance of the Meet in bringing various adventure tourism stakeholders from across the country together on one common platform to ideate and arrive at a point of synergy.
On the promotion of adventure tourism in Meghalaya, he mentioned that very soon walking trails would be developed at Sohra (Cherrapunji), an initiative funded by the Government of India. Consequently, a lot of visitor footfall is expected in the area to experience the new tourism product.
Lyngdoh stressed on the positive impact of adventure tourism, since adventurers tend to stay longer in any area compared to conventional visitors and immerse themselves in the local culture of the place. Meghalaya’s Tourism Policy encourages high-value, low-volume tourism, he said. This focus on the quality rather than the quantity of the visitors makes tourism in an ecologically sensitive state like Meghalaya a more sustainable activity, the Minister said. He also mentioned that several new tourism projects are on the anvil, which will help travellers access various adventure sites and lead to a manifold increase in visitor footfalls.
