Tourism

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.

The Shillong Literary Festival 2026 – New Delhi Prelude was inaugurated today at Bikaner House, New Delhi, bringing together leading voices from literature, governance, cinema, journalism, and the creative arts. Organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, the two-day national prelude marks a major lead-up to the main Shillong Literary Festival scheduled to be held in Shillong from November 12th to 14th,2026 as announced today, at the Bikaner House. The festival aims to showcase Meghalaya’s rich cultural identity and literary traditions while expanding the national footprint of the State’s creative ecosystem. The initiative also seeks to strengthen culture-led tourism, encourage local talent, and position Meghalaya as a growing hub for arts, literature, music, and ideas. A major highlight of the opening day was an engaging conversation between Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Conrad K. Sangma and senior journalist Shekhar Gupta, where discussions revolved around leadership, governance, youth aspirations, culture, and the evolving identity of the Northeast. The dialogue transitioned to Meghalaya’s focus on the creative economy and the promotion of consistent calendar events. Shri Gupta commended the Hon’ble Chief Minister for initiating the Shillong Literary Festival, noting that while he has attended many literary festivals, the setting, weather, environment, and audience quality at SLF are unmatched. Discussing the vision behind these initiatives, Hon’ble Chief Minister added how the festival ties into a strategy to develop multi-event platforms, expanding on events like the Cherry Blossom Festival to ensure year-round engagement rather than random occurrences. Expressing his delight on the growth of Shillong Literary Festival, he said, “We started off small. Now we are seeing it grow. It has become a calendar event; and more importantly it is known throughout the country. And we thought that bringing it to Delhi- this prelude, would expose this entire event and would be able to reach out to the other parts of the country.” He added, “We hope that in the years to come, it will become a much-much bigger event, not just nationally, but even globally.” Hon’ble Chief Minister also expressed the vision of the government in aspects related to Meghalaya’s growing creative economy, culture of entrepreneurship, emphasis on sustainable tourism, development in education sector and its rationalisation, and economic development of the state. Delivering the welcome address, Dr. Vijay Kumar D., IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, said the Shillong Literary Festival has emerged as a platform celebrating the stories, literature, cinema, music, and cultural identity of Meghalaya and the Northeast. Highlighting the vision behind the New Delhi Prelude, he noted that the festival is an effort to place Meghalaya’s literary and cultural wealth on a wider national stage. Referring to Shillong’s growing cultural identity, he added that as the city turns pink with cherry blossoms in November, its popular description as the “Scotland of the East” transforms into the “Kyoto of the West”, a phrase famously used by legendary author Vikram Seth during his visit to the festival in Shillong in 2024. The inaugural sessions also placed the spotlight on the cinematic landscape of the Northeast. Acclaimed filmmakers Dominic Sangma and Pradip Kurbah, in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Suparna Sharma, discussed the evolving narratives, challenges, and opportunities for cinema emerging from the region. The speakers praised ‘Hello Meghalaya’ as a “saving grace” for independent filmmakers, highlighting it as an OTT platform that provides a supportive space to monetize and share their films at a time, when access to platforms remains a challenge. The evening culminated with legendary actor Naseeruddin Shah captivating audiences through The Elephant and the Tragopan, a special reading from Vikram Seth’s celebrated Beastly Tales from Here and There. He interspersed the poems with James Thurber’s works and read out his four stories to the literary enthusiasts, who filled the house. Reading Thurber’s works like, “The bear who let it alone,” “The Tiger who would be king,” “The owl who was God” and “The very proper gander,” before Seth’s works, Shah drew a parallel with the calls nature’s offerings and human’s greed. The session “Readings from Khasi and Garo Classics” featured Prof. Streamlet Dkhar reading from U Soso Tham’s Ki Sngi Barim u Hynniewtrep and her own work, Na Thwei Pyrkhat U Longshuwa. Dr. Crystal Cornelious D. Marak presented D. S. Nengminza’s Seokgimin Poetryrang and Ku·bak-Ma·o Sanirang, exploring Garo topography and the oral traditions of the gods Goera and Salgra. The readings celebrated the rich ancestral heritage and linguistic history of the region. Day 02 of the festival will feature discussions on Northeast literature, ecology, food, translation, and identity through sessions such as Shillong on a Plate and Once Upon a Time at a Literature Festival. The sessions will feature prominent speakers including Shobhaa De, Maharani Priyadarshini Raje Scindia, Sanjoy Hazarika, Namita Gokhale, Patricia Mukhim, and several others. The evening concluded with vibrant performances by artists under the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Grassroots Music Program (CM-MGMP), transforming the venue into a celebration of Meghalaya’s music, rhythm, and cultural identity.

Shillong, May 06, 2026:  In a continued push towards strengthening the State’s tourism sector and recognise grassroots contributors, the Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya today hosted a grand event to celebrate the empowerment of ‘Tourism Champions’ at the Orchid Lake Resort, Umiam. A key highlight of the event was the expansive rollout of Government support for the local tourism ecosystem. Under the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Homestay Mission, which targets the creation of 3,000 new homestays and over 15,000 jobs by 2028, sanction letters were distributed to the initial cohort out of approved applications. Furthermore, the Community-Led Tourism Infrastructure Scheme has announced up to ₹3.40 crore in funding for 58 new beneficiaries, providing tiered grants ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹20 lakh based on site footfall, building upon the ₹10 lakh grants already awarded to 20 existing projects. The event also felicitated the success of the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) Homestay Scheme, which has sanctioned ₹115.68 crore and disbursed ₹102 crore for over 900 beneficiaries to date, by awarding a ₹20,000 cash prize to each of the State’s top ten performing hosts. In his keynote address, Shri Conrad K. Sangma, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya said, Meghalaya is now firmly on the tourism map of the country and the global scenario. He noted that every stakeholder has played a positive part in the transformation seen today. He added that the State is clear that tourism is not just about a single event, or one cultural program; it can only thrive when a complete ecosystem is in place. Further he noted, the runway expansion work at the Umroi Airport will be complete in next 15 months strengthening connectivity. He emphasized that it is important for the State to be present and visible to bring an experience of a lifetime to visitors. While massive change has taken place over the last eight years, the sector’s expansion will prioritize job creation, livelihoods, and individual growth through local entrepreneurs and homestays. He reaffirmed that over the next two to three years, the tourism sector will witness a massive transformation with the implementation of several iconic projects, including the Shillong Ropeway, the Rain Museum in Mawsynram, and new tourism centres across locations like Sohra. Reaffirming the government’s core philosophy, he stated, “We are here to work for you, and this government always ensures that we keep the people first.” Shri Timothy D. Shira, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, said, that tourism in Meghalaya has transformed into a powerful driver of economic growth and a strong pillar of the State’s economy, indicating a tourist footfall of 18 lakhs and rising. He emphasized that this progress is the result of a structured approach focusing on infrastructure, connectivity, and investment, highlighting the current implementation of over 150 tourism projects backed by thousands of crores and strong private sector participation. Furthermore, he noted the ongoing development of Umiam as a global tourist destination in line with the ‘Viksit Bharat’ roadmap, alongside the establishment of a dedicated Destination Management Organization (DMO). Further focusing on capacity building and youth empowerment within the hospitality sector. Certifications for full-course scholarships were handed out to Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) students under the Chief Minister Hospitality Scheme, complemented by the announcement of yearly stipend scholarships for IHM students. In one of the most poignant moments of the day, the Hon’ble Chief Minister also presented the ‘Bravery award’ to Mr. Teiborlang Pakma (Toursist Buddy) for his exceptional courage and selflessness in the society. The event also saw emphasis on improving the visitor experiences with the sanction for construction, modification, and upgradation of toilets at tourist sites across the State. Sharing his experience, Mr. Daminot Kharshandi a beneficiary of the Chief Minister Homestay Scheme, said the Homestay Scheme provided the crucial financial confidence to launch his business, which he has successfully expanded. He added that the State’s robust “Meghalaya Tourism” branding policy has been instrumental in driving the steady footfall and revenue. By harnessing the potential of tourism and empowering the citizens, Meghalaya is promoting inclusivity and creating a long-term foundation for a brighter and more prosperous future.

Sabhyata Foundation, a Smarak Sarathi under the Government of India’s Adopt a Heritage 2.0 initiative, signed an MoU with the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTC) today, to curate and deliver cultural events across Delhi’s heritage and public spaces. The MoU was signed in the presence of Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Rekha Gupta, along with other distinguished dignitaries. Ms. Avantika Dalmia, Co‑Chairperson, Advisory Board, Sabhyata Foundation, said, “We are grateful to the Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Rekha Gupta, for her encouragement and vision of making heritage more accessible and engaging. Delhi’s heritage offers a powerful opportunity to bring culture and public life together. Through this partnership with the Delhi Tourism & Transportation Corporation (DTTC), we aim to build a consistent, city-wide presence of thoughtfully curated cultural experiences.” The partnership establishes a 3 year collaboration to deliver a structured calendar of cultural programming that boosts tourism and deepens public engagement with Delhi’s heritage. It will bring the city’s historical legacy to life through curated experiences including festivals, performances, art-led initiatives, heritage walks, and storytelling while actively engaging local artists, artisans, and communities. A key focus will be the development of curated evening and night-time experiences across heritage sites and public spaces, aimed at strengthening Delhi’s night tourism ecosystem and enhancing visitor engagement. Under the partnership, Sabhyata Foundation will lead the conceptualisation and execution of programmes. A joint steering committee will oversee the planning and delivery of the annual cultural calendar. Building on initiatives ranging from immersive experiences to large-scale cultural festivals and public programming at heritage sites, Sabhyata Foundation aims to create greater continuity in how these spaces are activated and experienced by the public.