Shillong, August 22: Meghalaya’s tourism industry is already feeling the fallout of the escalating Assam-Meghalaya tension, with hotels and homestays in Shillong, Sohra (Cherrapunjee) and adjoining areas reporting 80–90 per cent cancellations amid growing uncertainty over travel to the state.
The economic blockade at Jorabat, coupled with the recent violence in Shillong, has triggered a wave of cancellations and enquiries from tourists concerned about their safety and access to Meghalaya.
Around 1,400 hotels and homestays operate in Shillong, Sohra and surrounding areas, according to the Federation of Shillong Hotels (FOSH).
“Due to the ongoing crisis, at least 80–90 per cent of the bookings have been cancelled by tourists. August is already an off-season for hotels in Shillong and Sohra, with average occupancy at around 20 per cent. We had bookings from everywhere, but now all have been cancelled,” FOSH president Parambir Singh Sehdave said.
Sehdave said the hospitality sector has an estimated 15,000 rooms, based on an average of around 10 rooms per property.
The cancellations come as Meghalaya’s tourism industry braces for the more lucrative Puja and Christmas season, when tourist arrivals traditionally surge.
“This has negatively impacted the hotel industry in Meghalaya during the peak season of Puja and Christmas. We hope the situation will improve and once again the hotel industry of Shillong and Sohra will be flooded with tourists,” Sehdave said.
The hotel industry’s concerns echo those raised by a wider coalition of Meghalaya tourism stakeholders following the violence during a protest rally in Shillong on August 19.
The Tour Operators Association of Meghalaya, Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum, Tour Guides Association of Meghalaya, Federation of Shillong Hotels, Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum and Meghalaya Rural Tourism Cooperative Federation jointly condemned the attacks and vandalism involving vehicles from outside the state, including tourist taxis and buses, as well as pedestrians and bystanders.
The tourism bodies warned that the incidents could seriously damage Meghalaya’s carefully built reputation as a safe and welcoming destination, saying they were already witnessing cancellations and growing concerns among visitors, along with retaliatory developments from Assam.
Tourism stakeholders also pointed out that the sector supports the livelihoods of more than 30 per cent of Meghalaya’s population, directly and indirectly, with homestays, guides, drivers, restaurants, artisans and small businesses all dependent on a stable tourism environment.
Sehdave said tourists were continuing to call hotels to ask whether it was safe to travel to Meghalaya.
“Both the Meghalaya and Assam governments are trying to resolve the issue. We hope it will be resolved soon. However, visitors are calling to inquire whether they can travel to Meghalaya, and we are advising them to wait until the situation improves,” he said.
The tourism industry is now hoping for a quick resolution to the standoff, fearing that prolonged uncertainty could have a wider impact on bookings and livelihoods well into the winter tourism season.
The stakeholders have also appealed for restraint and non-retaliation, stressing that differences should be resolved through dialogue rather than confrontation.
