Meghalaya’s tourism sector has suffered a major setback following the violence on the streets of Shillong on Wednesday, with hotels reporting a sharp decline in occupancy amid continuing restrictions along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
Several hotels have received cancellation calls and enquiries from tourists seeking updates on the prevailing situation in Shillong and across the border. The Federation of Shillong Hotels said the overall situation for the hospitality sector had turned negative.
Sohra, which had been witnessing strong tourist arrivals until recently, has also been affected. A hotelier said several bookings had been cancelled, with occupancy at many properties falling to between 10 and 20 per cent.
Tourism stakeholders expressed concern that prolonged disruption could seriously affect Meghalaya’s tourism industry, which has established the state as one of the Northeast’s major tourist destinations and supports the livelihoods of thousands of families.
Meanwhile, the dispute over interstate tourist taxis continued on Friday, with operators on both sides maintaining restrictions on cross-border movement.
The All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association continued its protest at Umiam, demanding proper treatment for Meghalaya-registered tourist taxis travelling in Assam. The association has proposed Jorabat as a common cut-off point and said it would maintain its position as long as restrictions on Meghalaya taxis in Assam continued.
Tour operators said both Assam and Meghalaya depend significantly on interstate tourist traffic and benefit equally from the movement of visitors between the two states.
With no breakthrough reported in resolving the dispute, tourist taxi services between Assam and Meghalaya remained disrupted on Friday, adding to concerns over the impact of the ongoing tensions on the region’s tourism sector.
