Cherrapunjee: Wonder of nature - scope and challenges of tourism industry in Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya

Abstract

Exploration of new places is the natural urge of every human being since inception and this led to the development of the tourism industries all over the world. As per the report of Ministry of tourism of India, tourism industry is one of the fastest growing service industries in India in 2015 but the growth of tourism industry in North eastern states of India is slow compare to other Indian states. North east is known for its pristine beauty. The place where clouds romance, which was once the wettest place on earth, having beautiful falls, foaming rivers, lush green forest and thrilling caves, the wonder of nature, is none other than Cherrapunjee, in the Indian state of Meghalaya. Despite of the heavenly beauty of nature, till today Cherrapunjee is unable to attract the attention of a large number of tourists because of its inferior tourism management. This study has been conducted in Cherrapunjee to analyze the tourism market and to find out the scope of tourism industry in Cherrapunjee. To achieve the objectives of the study, survey conducted among the tourists and the employees of tourism industry and analyzed the challenges and the scope of tourism in Cherrapunjee.