‘Places of tourist interest need to be developed with better infra’

Denis P Rayen gives an insight into preserving Cherrapunjee’s beauty alongside boosting tourism revenue

From a banker to one of the prominent names in Meghalaya’s tourism sector, Denis P Rayen (DPR) has come a long way. Rayen’s wife is from Laitkynsew in Cherrapunjee and they spent their annual holidays there. His venture into tourism in Cherrapunjee was prompted by the monsoon vagaries of the locals whose income would dwindle during the season. Also, Rayen noticed that tourists, most of whom were from Assam and West Bengal, would complain about the lack of facilities to stay in Cherrapunjee. He was determined to not only provide a constant source of income to the locals but also comfort to eager tourists.

Speaking to Business-North East, Rayen shares insights into Cherrapunjee as a popular tourism site, employment opportunities and the post-Covid situation. Excerpts:

BNE: How has the sector picked up pace post-Covid?
DPR: After the second lockdown, there was some hesitancy to travel for the first few months. People were still afraid to travel. All these reservations evaporated in the next six months and there was a spurt in the flow of tourists. Thus, demand started outstripping supply.

BNE: Cherrapunjee has become overcrowded and will gradually lose its charm to mindless tourism growth. So, what can be done to preserve the place’s sanctity as well as boost tourism revenue?
DPR: When we talk of Cherrapunjee and its viewpoints, we are not talking only of Cherrapunjee proper but an area that includes many villages that are economically and socially connected to Cherrapunjee/Sohra through the system of once in eight days market. Whereas I tend to look at Cherrapunjee as the entire heavy rainfall area that includes even Mawsynram and many other villages in the heavy rainfall area on the plateau, hill slopes and valleys. This area is very vast. Our settlements, including Sohra township, are small. Most of the villages have a hundred or two hundred households. We hope to harness Tourism as a growth engine for this area and over a period and get it replicated in other scenic places across Meghalaya. 
Our youth need to be provided employment opportunities now. They need to be groomed to meet high service standards to be able to engage guests from across the country and abroad. This providing them an opportunity to meet with people from across the country and the world, will slowly build their desire to improve their skill sets and slowly help them to stand at par with anyone from anywhere. 
The typical forest-based cultivation that is practised cannot sufficiently engage the growing youth population. Mining is destructive to the environment and will cause irreversible damage to our own habitat and will keep them at low-level jobs and make them stagnate in the same state of affairs.
There are many places of tourist interest that have been promoted by the local villagers and have got the fancy of the tourists. If we have many places of tourist interest around this area, the tourist flow can be spread across more places. 
If the bottlenecks in the roads entering and exiting the city are sorted out, there can be a smooth flow of vehicles without traffic snarls. By providing better connectivity the government can enable people to find their way to make a living rather than clamour for government jobs. 
Instead of stemming the flow of tourists, if we spread the visiting tourists across many places, we will create more business and job opportunities for our rural populace. The government can give attention to the management of waste and thus create opportunities for the people through their collection and proper disposal. 
Instead of putting a cap on tourist flow, let us channel the economic potential that comes with the tourists to develop more areas in the State. It is all in the way new places are developed and marketed that the concerns of over-tourism can be dissipated. 

BNE: Would you say Meghalaya has the best tourism infrastructure in the North East? Why?
DPR: To say that Meghalaya has the best tourism infrastructure in the North East is like patting ourselves on the back. We need to go a long way for that. Perhaps it is better connected than many other northeastern states and the climate and scenic beauty are its assets. 
Accommodation-wise much needs to be developed in many places and places of tourist interest need to be developed with better infrastructure. Better and well-maintained restroom facilities have to come up along the tourist circuits. We need to look up other well-developed tourist destinations in other parts of India and abroad before we start thinking on those lines.

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