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When travellers visit a new place, they don’t always look for scenic spots. They look for genuine human connections. For years, Meghalaya has offered that warmth, rooted in its rich culture and deep hospitality. Today, that warmth is driving economic growth. The numbers tell this story clearly. Shillong recently topped Skyscanner’s 2025 Report as the most-searched travel destination in India. It is drawing more visitors than ever under its new tourism identity, Symphony in the Mist. Tourist arrivals have surged from roughly 12 lakhs in 2018 to over 16 lakhs today, and the State has set an ambitious target of 21 lakhs by 2028. In April 2026, NITI Aayog’s Divya Bharat: A Window to the Soul of India report added further weight to this momentum. It identified Meghalaya as one of India’s few year-round travel destinations with no clear off-season. It highlighted the State’s living root bridges, extensive cave systems, and indigenous cultural traditions. The message was clear: Meghalaya is no longer a seasonal stop. It is a destination for all seasons. But recognition alone does not fill a room. As visitor numbers climbed, a serious challenge emerged. Demand was outpacing supply. Many high-potential destinations lacked adequate lodging, and tourist spending went unrealised. The government saw that building massive hotels was not the only answer. Instead, it chose to empower the families who call these hills home. This thinking made the homestay model the cornerstone of Meghalaya’s tourism strategy. The government took the first step in September 2023 by launching the Meghalaya Tourism Homestay Scheme in convergence with the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). The scheme gives financial assistance of up to 70% for projects costing up to ₹10 lakhs. This includes a 35% subsidy under PMEGP and an equal 35% from the State’s Tourism Department, making it accessible to first-time entrepreneurs and rural households. The response was swift. The scheme sanctioned 900 applications. On the ground, more than 490 homestays became operational, creating 1,000 rooms and around 1,500 livelihood opportunities. With this proof of success, the government moved to scale. It launched the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Homestay Mission in September 2025, building on the earlier scheme with greater ambition. The Mission targets 3,000 new homestays and 15,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2028. The support structure improved as well. New homestays can receive a subsidy of up to 70%, capped at ₹7 lakhs. Existing homestays can claim an upgradation incentive of up to ₹2 lakhs to improve quality and visitor experience. Early momentum has been strong, with 80 applications already approved across 10 districts, showing participation from every part of the State. These are not just statistics. For people like Daminot Kharshandi from Ri Bhoi district, a first-generation entrepreneur and scheme beneficiary, this support changed everything. “The Homestay Scheme gave me the financial confidence to launch my business, which I have successfully expanded,” he added. “The State’s Meghalaya Tourism branding policy has also brought more footfalls and revenue.” His story is becoming a familiar one across the region. It shows that the right support, reaching the right people, multiplies. One such story belongs to Donny Esmond Rapsang. His Friendship Homestay at Umden Umsaitprah, Umroi is a story of resilience and community empowerment. Rapsang once moved between multiple small jobs and businesses to support his family. The Government of Meghalaya’s Homestay Scheme opened a new door. With financial assistance of over ₹9 lakh, he began construction in 2023, completed the homestay in 2024, and opened it to the public in 2025. Today, the homestay supports his household and has created opportunities for local youth involved in its construction and operations. His journey, like Daminot’s, shows how tourism-based initiatives can strengthen livelihoods, promote self-employment, and empower rural communities. This wide participation reflects what Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Conrad K. Sangma has consistently emphasised. These initiatives are not isolated interventions. They build an ecosystem where homestay owners, local transport providers, food vendors, and tourist guides all grow together. The State treats smaller homestays as just as vital as large infrastructure, spreading the economic benefits of tourism to the grassroots rather than concentrating them at the top. Nowhere is this philosophy more visible than in the State’s plans for the upcoming 39th National Games, 2027. Meghalaya intends to house visitors in homestays rather than traditional Games Villages, placing local families at the centre of a national stage. As that moment approaches, the homestay revolution tells a bigger story about how Meghalaya is choosing to grow. By giving ordinary people, the tools to succeed, the Government of Meghalaya is doing more than expanding accommodation. It is building something more enduring, a tourism economy where benefits flow directly to the families who have always been its greatest hosts.

Adani Airports Holdings Limited (AAHL) has launched Maison Twenty-Seven, adjoining the arrivals area of Terminal 2 (T2) at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad, in partnership with Bastian Hospitality. Spread across 52,000 square feet, the integrated destination brings together luxury dining, wellness, fitness, recovery, entertainment and curated lifestyle experiences under one roof. Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) has launched Maison Twenty-Seven in partnership with Bastian Hospitality, adjoining the arrivals area of Terminal 2 (T2) at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA). The launch marks another strategic step in AAHL’s vision of transforming airports into integrated lifestyle, hospitality and urban ecosystems that extend beyond conventional transit infrastructure. The launch also follows AAHL’s recent partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts to develop and operate five airport-linked hotels across key Indian cities, further strengthening its vision of building integrated airport ecosystems. For Bastian Hospitality, it marks the group’s boldest expansion yet as it completes a decade of shaping some of India’s most celebrated dining and lifestyle experiences.  Located adjoining Terminal 2 of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and within proximity to GIFT City, Maison Twenty-Seven is envisioned as a first-of-its-kind integrated hospitality, wellness and entertainment destination designed for the future of modern Indian living and travel.  Strategically located within one of India’s fastest-growing aviation and business corridors, Maison Twenty-Seven aligns with the broader transformation of Ahmedabad into a major transit, commerce and lifestyle destination. The project also complements AAHL’s rapidly expanding airport ecosystem and the emergence of GIFT City in adjoining Gandhinagar as a global financial and business hub. The destination also aims to integrate Gujarat’s rich craft and cultural traditions into its larger experience philosophy by creating opportunities for regional artists and artisans to showcase their work within the property. AAHL’s Pranaam service will allow passengers to enjoy the Maison Twenty-Seven without anxiety about boarding the flight. Pranaam service is a guest services platform of AAHL — India’s largest private airport operator — focused on enhancing premium travel, lounge and passenger experiences across its airport network. Spread across 52,000 square feet, Maison Twenty-Seven has been conceptualised as India’s first airport-integrated hospitality and wellness destination, combining dining, wellness, recovery, entertainment and community-led experiences within a single ecosystem. Located directly adjacent to the T2 arrivals area, the destination has been designed for travellers, business professionals, families and residents of Ahmedabad, reflecting the growing shift towards experience-led travel and urban lifestyles. At a time when Gujarat is rapidly emerging as one of India’s most important economic and infrastructure growth corridors, Maison Twenty-Seven has been envisioned to complement the larger growth story surrounding Ahmedabad, GIFT City and the evolving airport ecosystem. More than a venue, the destination has been designed as a landmark hospitality ecosystem – a space that signals the future of experiential travel and lifestyle infrastructure in India.  Housed within a reimagined architectural structure, the destination unfolds through layered experiential environments defined by soaring volumes, sculptural lighting, abundant natural light and lush greenery. Guests enter through intimate low-height spaces that gradually reveal expansive open environments anchored by a striking central tree installation, immersive dining pockets and thoughtfully designed social zones that encourage both pause and interaction.  The culinary philosophy at Maison Twenty-Seven remains deeply rooted in the iconic Bastian DNA while evolving to reflect the needs of a modern transit and wellness-led audience. The destination’s food and beverage program has been designed to seamlessly move across transit meals, business meetings, family dining, late-night indulgence, wellness-focused nutrition and casual coffee moments.  Wellness sits at the heart of the Maison Twenty-Seven experience. The property houses a dedicated wellness center featuring cryotherapy, hot and cold plunge pools, steam and sauna rooms, dry flotation therapies, yoga and sound healing studios, salon experiences and indoor and outdoor fitness spaces positioning the destination as a modern urban retreat focused on restoration, recovery and mindful living.  Maison Twenty-Seven will operate through a reservations and access-led model alongside curated day-pass experiences, enabling guests to engage with its hospitality, wellness and lifestyle offerings in flexible formats. Designed to encourage repeat engagement and community-driven usage, the model reflects a growing consumer shift toward flexible, experience-first living and social ecosystems Further elevating its family-forward philosophy are immersive lifestyle zones including a games arcade, co-working lounge, curated entertainment experiences, expansive indoor-outdoor dining spaces and dedicated areas designed for children and families creating a destination that caters to multiple generations and occasions through the day. The brand aims to keep the vibrant and expansive craft culture of Gujarat integral to its philosophy, by giving regional artists and crafts folk the opportunity to showcase at Maison Twenty-Seven. Special focus has also been placed on Bastian Bakery and the Temptation Room envisioned as everyday celebration-led formats for the city, designed to become synonymous with local occasions, gifting and indulgent experiences.  Speaking on the launch, Mr Ranjit Bindra, Founder, Bastian Hospitality, said: “Maison Twenty-Seven represents an important evolution for Bastian Hospitality as we complete ten years of creating experiential dining and lifestyle destinations in India. We wanted to build a space that responds to how modern consumers increasingly travel, work, recover and connect. Ahmedabad, with the rapid growth around SVPIA and GIFT City, offered the perfect environment for a concept that brings together hospitality, wellness and community in a globally relevant format.” Arun Bansal, CEO, AAHL, said: “At Adani airports, we are reimagining airports as dynamic lifestyle and social ecosystems that extend far beyond travel. Maison Twenty-Seven reflects our commitment to creating experiences that are immersive, future-ready and rooted in evolving consumer aspirations. From hospitality and wellness to dining and community spaces, every aspect of the destination has been shaped through a deeply hands-on approach to how modern travellers and urban consumers want to engage, pause and connect. As Ahmedabad and GIFT City continue to emerge as globally significant growth hubs, we believe destinations like Maison Twenty-Seven will redefine the role airports play in shaping urban experiences.” Actor, entrepreneur, wellness advocate and co-founder of Bastian Hospitality Shilpa Shetty said: “Wellness today is no longer limited to fitness. It shapes how people travel, recharge, spend time with family and build meaningful everyday experiences. What makes Maison Twenty-Seven special is the way it brings together recovery, hospitality,