Shillong, Sept 17: The Tour Operator Association of Meghalaya (TOAM) has asked the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) to stand down on their protest and address their concerns with the government in a private manner.
“At this critical juncture, TOAM requests that AKMTTA immediately stand down on the manner of protest and take their concerns to the Govt in a private manner. We cannot risk the protest leading to deter tourists from coming to our State,” president of the association E. Banlumlang Blah told reporters on Wednesday.
A letter was also sent to the AKMTTA after there has been repeated diversion of organized tours away from Meghalaya to other destinations in North East India.
“This disturbing trend, similar to what we witnessed last year, has already resulted in significantly low tourist footfalls over the past few months,” Blah said.
“If this practice continues, the consequences will be irreversible. Tourists who are diverted once will not return. Instead, they will permanently shift their preferences elsewhere, leaving Meghalaya’s tourism industry crippled. Hotels will be empty, restaurants will suffer, taxis will remain idle, and livelihoods painstakingly built over decades will collapse. Quite plainly, if this continues, our industry will die,” he warned.
Asserting that the survival of Meghalaya’s tourism industry depends on our collective actions now, Blah said that delay or complacency will only accelerate the downfall we are all trying to avoid.
“We urge your association to treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves and to commit to immediate joint action by not disrupting the inflow of tourists and Taxis from Assam who wish to enjoy the beauty of our State,” he added.
The AKMTTA has called for an indefinite strike from September 16, demanding the state government to ban entry of tourist taxi from outside the state to different tourist spots of Meghalaya.
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