This story is from June 9, 2020

Anti-CAA stir, Covid-19 hit Meghalaya tourism

Anti-CAA stir, Covid-19 hit Meghalaya tourism
The Meghalaya government will propose to develop a “Covid-19 resilient model” to sustain the tourism industry, CM Conrad Sangma has said
SHILLONG: Lush green valleys, cloud-kissing mountains and cascading waterfalls draw hordes of tourists to Meghalaya every year but lodges and hotels in these destinations wear a deserted look for the third consecutive month courtesy the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism in the state had taken a nosedive ever since anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests raged across the northeast.
Lionel Nongkhlaw, president of the San Shnong Youth Welfare Organization which manages tourism in the popular Elephanta Falls in upper Shillong, says inflow of tourists into the state has decreased since last year due to various reasons.
"It all started with the anti-CAB and anti-CAA protests and the subsequent demand for ILP. This had led to clashes between tribals and non-tribals at Ichamati," Nongkhlaw added. Because of near-to-zero revenue generation, he said salaries of the employees were being paid out of the owners' reserve funds.
"A joint meeting of the organization and the staff was convened and a decision to pay salaries on flat rate basis without looking at seniority or otherwise was taken to sustain ourselves," Nongkhlaw added.
He informed that the organization has 24 employees and before lockdown, the total expenditure on salary would be Rs 3 lakh per month which has been scaled down to Rs 1 lakh now. Nongkhlaw also said that around 100 families are directly or indirectly dependent on tourism activities at the Elephants Fall. "People should learn to live with the virus and life has to move on," he added.
After a ban on coal mining - the highest revenue earner for the state - in April 2014, tourism had emerged as a saviour. However, with the spread of coronavirus which subsequently led to the lockdown for nearly three months, stakeholders are now staring at a bleak future.
Reiterating Nongkhlaw's feelings, a young entrepreneur who runs a home stay in Cherrapunjee said, "Covid-19 has really affected tourism in Sohra (Cherrapunjee). The situation has come at a time when tourists visit the place to beat the summer heat. The pandemic has affected everyone whose income is directly or indirectly connected to this sector."

However, a Shillong-based hotelier is hopeful that the country will soon overcome this pandemic. "We obviously need to overcome this situation. Once a vaccine is ready, we normalcy will return. However, this remain uncertain as of now," he said.
As a measure to boost the ailing industry, chief minister Conrad Sangma said the state government is proposing to develop a 'Covid-19 resilient model' to sustain the tourism industry. "The state can take advantage of the prevailing situation by having a Covid-19 resilient model in place. There are 20 million people who go out of India to other countries. If Meghalaya gets even 5 to 10% of these travellers, it will be a huge boost for the sector," the chief minister added.
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