To give a facelift to the State’s hospitality business, Meghalaya Government has embarked on an initiative giving thrust in improving road and air connectivity in the State.
The Meghalaya Tourism department will connect the various tourist destinations in the State.
With this new initiative, the State Government is confident that there would be a sea change in State tourism, Chief Minister DD Lapang told reporters after the first meeting of the recently formed Task Force on Tourism Development here last night.
Lapang said there was a proposal for direct Air India flights between Kolkata, Shilong and Tura.Air India chief Arvind Jadhav, after a meeting with Lapang in Delhi recently, said the national carrier was considering operating regular flights from Kolkata to Shilong and Tura and vice ‘versa.
Lapang said government has already put forward a proposal to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation for setting up of an aviation training academy in the State for which the government will allot 12 acres of land, he added.
The Meghalaya Government will set up Welcome Centers at Khan Para on the Assam border, the entry points to Garo Hills and Dawki along the Bangladesh border. Tourism offices would also be set up in important cities like Delhi and Kolkata, Lapang said.
“We have also adopted a resolution to develop the Shilong Golf course and transform it into one of the best golf courses in the country .We will find out other places in the State where artificial golf courses can be created,” he said.
While admitting that despite many efforts in the past, development of the State tourism sector was yet to be satisfactory, the chief minister said the government would improve the existing State Tourism Policy.
The term of reference of the TFTD is to prepare a 10-year perspective plan for tourism infrastructure development, to suggest measures to facilitate investment in tourism projects and also to monitor their implementation.
Activation of interactive website, of Tourism Department, building of a state of the art Inter State Bus Terminal in Shilong, and holding of festivals in the line with the Wine festival besides the regular festivals that the State observes were also on the anvil, he said .
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