Shillong tension puts Assam’s tourist destinations in spotlight

OUR CORRESPONDENT

HAFLONG: With Shillong witnessing a tense situation in recent days, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has urged tourists to explore the state’s own scenic destinations, drawing particular attention to Haflong, Amreng, and Umrangso in Dima Hasao district.

The chief minister’s appeal has brought Assam’s emerging tourism destinations into focus at a time when uncertainty surrounding travel to Shillong has raised concerns among tourists planning visits to the Northeast.

Haflong, the only hill station in Assam, along with Amreng and Umrangso, offers a combination of rolling hills, lakes, waterfalls, forests, and rich indigenous cultural traditions. Despite their considerable tourism potential, several destinations in Dima Hasao remain comparatively unexplored and have yet to receive the level of infrastructure and promotion needed to attract large numbers of visitors.

Tourism stakeholders believe that sustained investment in roads, accommodation, visitor amenities, connectivity, and destination management could transform Dima Hasao into one of the Northeast’s major tourism circuits.

The development of tourism would also have a direct economic impact on local communities by generating employment and expanding opportunities for homestays, transport operators, guides, restaurants, handicrafts, and other small businesses.

The chief minister’s call has renewed the focus on the need to promote Assam’s diverse tourism assets more aggressively, particularly destinations outside the state’s established tourist circuits.

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