Meghalaya CM proposes ‘homestays as games village’

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has launched the Community-led Tourism infrastructure scheme to position Meghalaya as a hub of responsible travel, nurturing authentic, human-centred experiences for every visitor.

Embracing the spirit of World Tourism Day 2025 and its focus on inclusive and sustainable tourism, Sangma also unveiled the OneConnect Meghalaya Tourism Helpline and the new official website for Meghalaya Tourism.

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The revamped website acts as a one-click gateway, serving as a unified platform for every traveller’s needs.

These launches, along with the release of the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Homestay Mission Scheme and the Community-led Tourism Infrastructure Scheme, reinforce the state’s commitment to responsible tourism, nurturing authentic, human-centred experiences for every visitor.

Sangma presented a comprehensive vision for Meghalaya’s tourism sector, highlighting it as a top priority over the last seven and a half years. He showcased impressive results, with domestic tourist arrivals having grown to 1.6 million, with a clear target of creating 50,000 new jobs within the next three years.This growth is supported by a massive infrastructure push, with 210 ongoing projects worth Rs 3,625 crore and an additional Rs 260 crore sanctioned from the DoNER Ministry specifically for developing the Sohra (Cherrapunji) destination. The centrepiece of his strategy is the new Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Homestay Mission, designed to address a critical accommodation shortage.

He announced a ground-breaking plan to use these homestays for the upcoming National Games, quoting his rationale, “It is better that we invest our money into standardized homestays, which will then act as Games Village (rather than having one game-village) and after the games are over, these will be run as homestays and serve the tourists”.

This mission is complemented by a robust pipeline of high-end hotels, with a goal of having eight 5-star hotels by 2030, including one in Tura, and the expansion of Umroi Airport by 2027, which Sangama termed a “major game changer” for enabling direct flights from major cities. He also spoke about the “concert economy,” revealing that a government spend of Rs 23.5 crores yielded a 5.6 times return of over Rs133 crores and has successfully branded Shillong as a premier global music destination.

The Chief Minister urged stakeholders to make use of the homestay scheme, which offers an unprecedented 70 percent subsidy fully funded by the state government, and for existing owners to register to avail an additional Rs 50,000 incentive.

The OneConnect Meghalaya Tourism Helpline marks a pioneering leap in travel assistance—the country’s inaugural multilingual service tailored exclusively for tourists.
Available daily, including holidays, from 8 am to 8 pm., the helpline provides guidance on safety, logistics, and hidden gems across the state.

Since its inception in 2023, the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Homestay Scheme has flourished, with nearly 800 homestays sanctioned and an investment nearing Rs 100 crore.

Today, 237 homestays are fully operational, broadening accommodation choices while generating over 1,600 direct jobs statewide.