Meghalaya tourism in trouble, as footfalls in Cherrapunji drop drastically
The COVID-19 pandemic is not only causing distress in the health sector but has also brought other activities, including tourism, to a grinding halt leaving many families on the brink of uncertainty, news agency UNI has reported.
After the ban on coal mining in April 2014, which was the highest revenue earner for the State’s exchequer, tourism had emerged as an economic saviour, but with the spread of coronavirus, which, subsequently led to the lockdown for nearly three months, stakeholders are now staring at a bleak future.
With no tourists at all for nearly three months now, those running tourist spots are struggling to pay salaries to their staff. There are also loss of livelihoods of those who are indirectly involved with this industry, like shops selling souvenirs and local delicacies, the UNI report said.
“COIVID-19 has really affected tourism badly in Sohra (Cherrapunji). The situation has come at a time when tourists visit Sohra to beat the summer heat in the plain belt areas across India. It has affected everyone whose income is directly or indirectly from this industry,” said Steven Wankhar, who runs a home stay in Sohra.
San Shnong Youth Welfare Organisation (SSYWO), which manages tourism in the popular Elephants Falls in Upper Shillong, said that the inflow of tourists into the State has decreased since last year due to various reasons, the UNI report added.
“It all started with the protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act and the subsequent demand for Inner Line Permit which led to the incident at Ichamati and finally the lockdown,” SSYWO member Lionel Nongkhlaw said. He added that the organisation has scaled down the overall expenditure on monthly salary of its 24 employees from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 1 lakh in view of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the state government is proposing to develop a ‘COVID-19 resilient model’ to sustain the tourism industry and is also keen to start a direct flight between Delhi and Shillong besides reviving the Baljek airport in the Garo Hills.
