Major events are bringing more visitors into the State, adding to the demand for accommodation, transport, food and local experiences.
However, the growth is also bringing pressure. Residents are dealing with traffic congestion, overcrowding, waste and increasing demands on roads and public facilities.
On busy weekends in Shillong, hotels and homestays receive more bookings, cafés attract additional customers, taxi drivers get more trips and tour guides take visitors to waterfalls, villages and viewpoints. Tourism is also expanding beyond traditional attractions, with music, festivals, food, culture, adventure and experiences becoming important parts of Meghalaya's tourism economy.
The upcoming Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival, scheduled for November 20 and 21 at the New Shillong Highland Ground in Mawkhanu, is expected to bring another large influx of visitors.
But as tourism grows, an important question remains: when tourism booms, who benefits and who pays the price?

Hotels see the benefits

Major events can provide hotels with an immediate increase in occupancy. Steven Sawkmie, hotel manager at Centre Point in Police Bazar, said rooms that may remain vacant during an ordinary weekend can quickly be booked when a major event takes place.
The benefits extend beyond accommodation, as visitors also spend on restaurants, taxis, tourist attractions and other services. Some tourists who arrive for a concert or festival may also extend their stay.
Merianna Lyngdoh, a hostel owner in Nongmynsong, said visitors who initially come for an event sometimes stay for two or three additional days, creating more business for local accommodation providers.
Riverside Resort owner Badashisha Khonglah similarly highlighted the importance of longer stays. Tourists who remain in Meghalaya for more days are likely to spend money across restaurants, transport, villages and other local businesses.
This means the economic impact of tourism depends not only on how many visitors arrive but also on how long they stay and where they spend their money.

Event managers see a growing market

Meghalaya's growing popularity is also creating opportunities for the events industry. Denzel, an event manager in Shillong, said the city's strong music culture and young audience make it attractive for large-scale events.
The economic impact of such events extends beyond the venue, benefiting vendors, drivers, hotels and other businesses.
However, large events can also expose the limitations of Shillong's infrastructure. Organisers have to consider parking, traffic, accommodation, transportation and crowd movement alongside the event itself.
This creates a growing challenge for the city: an event can generate significant economic activity while simultaneously placing considerable pressure on roads and other infrastructure.

More tourists, more work for guides

Tour guides are benefiting from the increase in tourist arrivals, particularly as visitors increasingly seek experiences rather than simply visiting well-known attractions.
Bantei Syiem, a tour guide from Meghalaya, said tourists are becoming interested in local food, villages, music and culture in addition to famous destinations.
However, he believes tourism needs to be distributed more evenly. Popular destinations can become heavily crowded while lesser-known areas receive comparatively few visitors.
Encouraging tourists to explore more parts of Meghalaya could reduce pressure on established destinations while allowing additional communities to benefit from tourism income.

Taxi drivers are part of the tourism chain

Taxi drivers are another important part of the tourism economy. Festival and holiday periods bring more passengers and additional income, with drivers making trips between hotels, Police Bazaar, Shillong, Sohra and other destinations.
But increased tourism also brings congestion.
Ribok Nongrum, a fictional taxi driver used to illustrate the sector, said drivers earn more during busy tourism periods but can spend significantly longer on the road because of traffic. Journeys that normally take around 20 minutes can sometimes take an hour.
The problem affects residents as well as tourists. Increased demand for transport can create additional income, but without adequate road capacity and traffic management, it can also reduce mobility across the city.

Cafés feel the tourist rush

Shillong's growing café culture has become another part of the tourism experience, with visitors increasingly looking for local food and dining experiences.
Uttam Thangkhiew, owner of Olivia's Kitchen Café, said tourists have made up around 30 to 35 per cent of his customer base over the past two years. Festivals and concerts bring particularly strong increases in business.
At the same time, he believes infrastructure needs to improve before Meghalaya focuses simply on attracting more tourists.
His concern reflects a broader issue: tourism growth can create economic opportunities, but the destination needs adequate infrastructure and services to accommodate visitors without affecting the quality of life of residents.

But what does tourism mean for residents?

For residents of Shillong, the tourism boom does not always translate into economic benefits.
Alban Kongwir, a senior citizen from Shillong, acknowledged that tourism creates employment and supports families but questioned whether roads, parking spaces and public facilities are prepared for increasing visitor numbers.
He said residents welcome visitors but argued that tourism should not come at the expense of their quality of life. Traffic, noise and waste, he said, cannot simply be treated as unavoidable consequences of economic growth.
Younger resident Iamonlang Rani similarly said the issue is not tourists themselves but whether the city is prepared to accommodate them. During major events, vehicles fill roads, parking becomes difficult and public spaces become overcrowded.
The challenge, therefore, may not simply be attracting tourists but managing their arrival.
A July 2026 incident involving damage to a Shillong homestay also highlighted the importance of responsible visitor behaviour. Six students from Uttar Pradesh were involved in the incident, following which an FIR was registered. The matter later reached the Meghalaya High Court. Following a settlement, the students paid ₹2.06 lakh in compensation, tendered an unconditional apology, and two petitioners were directed to pay an additional ₹25,000 each and undertake six days of community service. The FIR was subsequently quashed after consent from the proprietor and manager.
The incident involved a specific group and should not be generalised to visitors from Uttar Pradesh or outside Meghalaya. However, it highlights the responsibility of tourists to respect properties, communities, house rules and local places.

The hidden cost of popularity

Tourism is an important economic opportunity for Meghalaya, where many livelihoods depend directly or indirectly on visitors. The difficulty arises when infrastructure fails to keep pace with tourism growth.
More tourists mean more vehicles, demand for parking, greater water consumption, increased waste and pressure on sanitation and public spaces. Natural attractions such as waterfalls, rivers, caves, forests and viewpoints can also become crowded during weekends and holidays, with littering, plastic waste, noise and careless behaviour threatening the very places tourists come to experience.
There is also a question of how tourism income is distributed. If visitors spend primarily in large hotels, major restaurants and around large events, smaller communities may receive only a limited share.
In contrast, staying in local homestays, hiring local guides and drivers, eating at local restaurants, purchasing local products and visiting lesser-known destinations can allow more tourism income to circulate within communities.

Tourism growth and the rural economy

Allan West Kharkongor, President of the Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum, said tourism has grown significantly in recent years, supported by improved road connectivity, tourism infrastructure, social media exposure and Meghalaya's reputation as a nature and adventure destination.
Festivals, concerts and other major events have also introduced the State to new groups of travellers.
An important development has been the increasing participation of rural communities. Homestays, cottages, restaurants and nature, culture and adventure experiences are emerging beyond Shillong and established tourist centres.
Tourism is becoming an important livelihood source in rural areas where employment opportunities can be limited. Young people are entering the sector through homestays, cafés, restaurants, tour operations, transport services, adventure activities and local guiding.
Kharkongor stressed the multiplier effect of tourism. When visitors stay in locally owned properties, eat local food, hire local guides and purchase local products, more of their spending remains within the community.
The challenge is ensuring that a larger share of tourism revenue stays in Meghalaya and reaches communities at the destination level.

Is Meghalaya ready for more tourists?

As festivals, concerts and other events attract more visitors, infrastructure is becoming increasingly important.
Kharkongor said infrastructure has improved but is being stretched in some locations, particularly during weekends, holidays and major events.
He argued that Meghalaya needs to look beyond simply building more hotels. Roads, parking, public toilets, waste-management systems, public transport, emergency services and destination management must develop alongside visitor numbers.
Tourism should also be dispersed more widely. Encouraging visitors to explore lesser-known destinations could reduce pressure on Shillong, Sohra and other popular areas while creating opportunities for rural communities.

The concern over unplanned tourism

For Kharkongor, the greatest concern is not tourism itself but unplanned and unmanaged tourism.
Traffic congestion, overcrowding, littering, roadside cooking, indiscriminate parking and pressure on fragile natural locations are becoming increasingly visible in popular destinations.
At the same time, more communities and individuals are entering tourism because of its economic potential. Without adequate training and support, new operators may lack knowledge of hospitality standards, pricing, sanitation, waste management, carrying capacity and responsible tourism.
This could encourage a high-volume, low-value model where destinations focus on attracting large numbers of visitors without adequately managing their impact.
Kharkongor said irresponsible behaviour such as littering, excessive noise, open-space cooking and disregard for local rules is already visible in some areas. He argued that Meghalaya should not compete only through low prices and visitor numbers, as this could gradually reduce the value of its tourism product.
However, communities should not be discouraged from entering the sector. Instead, they need training and guidance on hospitality, pricing, carrying capacity, sanitation, waste management and the protection of natural and cultural assets.
The aim should be responsible, higher-value and community-managed tourism rather than uncontrolled mass tourism.

Cherry Blossom as a test

The upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival could serve as a test of how Meghalaya manages large-scale tourism.
The festival will bring together music, entertainment, food, vendors and visitors, with its effects extending beyond the venue. Hotels and homestays are expected to benefit from bookings, taxi drivers from additional passengers, cafés and restaurants from increased customers and tour guides from opportunities to offer longer itineraries.
At the same time, residents will be watching traffic, parking, waste and crowd management.
The challenge will be ensuring that the economic benefits extend beyond the festival grounds. Denzel said a successful event should mean benefits for hotel staff, taxi drivers, café owners, guides, vendors and local communities, rather than simply a full venue.
For residents such as Alban Kongwir, tourism growth should also be accompanied by improvements in roads, waste management, parking and public facilities.
Kharkongor believes tourism should ultimately be measured not only by visitor numbers but by the quality and value it creates. He supports longer-staying, responsible travellers, carrying-capacity assessments for sensitive destinations, designated parking and picnic areas, stronger waste management, better public facilities and enforcement against littering and irresponsible behaviour.
Most importantly, local communities should remain at the centre of tourism development and receive a fair share of its economic benefits.
For Meghalaya, the future may therefore depend less on how many tourists the State can attract and more on how well it can manage those who arrive. Economic growth, environmental conservation and community well-being will need to move together.
The success of tourism cannot simply be measured by airport arrivals, hotel bookings or concert attendance. It should also be measured by how much money remains in local communities, how many livelihoods are created, how well natural attractions are protected and whether residents continue to feel comfortable living in the places that increasing numbers of visitors want to experience.