Shillong, Dec 19: In a major boost to Meghalaya’s tourism landscape, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday attended the land-handover ceremony for the upcoming Taj Umiam Resort & Spa—set to become the state’s largest hospitality project.
The five-star luxury resort, to be developed at a cost of ₹330 crore, will rise along the picturesque Umiam Lake in Ri Bhoi district. Once complete, it will mark Meghalaya’s fourth five-star property and the Taj Group’s first flagship hotel in the state.
Tourism Minister Timothy D. Shira, GAD & C&RD Minister Sosthenes Sohtun, MTDC Chairman Marthon Sangma, and senior government officials were present at the ceremony.
Calling the moment “historic,” Conrad Sangma traced Umiam’s tourism journey back to former Chief Minister (Late) P.A. Sangma, who in 1988 envisioned the lake as a future tourism powerhouse.
“What was envisioned decades ago is now being taken to the next level,” the Chief Minister said, crediting the Tourism Department, MTDC, and stakeholders for turning vision into reality.
The government says the arrival of the Taj brand will be transformative—creating hundreds of jobs, firing up local enterprise, and positioning Meghalaya as a premium international destination.
The scale of the state’s tourism expansion is already visible: Meghalaya recorded nearly 16 lakh visitors in 2024 and is projected to cross 20 lakh tourists by 2028. Since 2018, tourism has been recognised as an industry and now contributes 7.7% to Meghalaya’s GSDP, with plans to push that to 8.8% by 2032.
The Taj Umiam Resort & Spa forms part of a broader strategy that includes 254 tourism infrastructure projects worth ₹3,914.51 crore—among them, the Shillong Ropeway, Mawkdok Skywalk, Meghalayan Cave Experience Centre, and the upcoming Rain & Bamboo Centre in Mawsynram. Twenty-six major experiential projects alone are valued at over ₹1,400 crore.
Umiam sits at the heart of this expansion. Positioned just 17 km from Shillong and 14 km from Umroi Airport, it will soon become a high-end, low-density tourism zone shaped by environmental priorities. Over ₹500 crore is being invested there, including waterfront redevelopment, luxury cottage clusters, adventure tourism, a convention centre, and enhanced lakefront infrastructure.
Conrad Sangma stressed that the tourism boom is designed to be inclusive, not exclusive:
“Tourism development in Meghalaya goes far beyond five-star hotels. We have one of the most aggressive policies in the country to promote homestays and community-led tourism so that people directly benefit from the Meghalaya brand.”
The state’s Homestay Mission provides up to 70% subsidy support, having already created 800 homestays and 1,600 jobs. The next phase targets 3,000 homestays by 2028.
The Chief Minister also highlighted Meghalaya’s growing “concert economy,” which drew 3.86 lakh attendees across seven major events between 2024–2025. A public investment of ₹23.5 crore generated ₹133.42 crore in economic activity and over 5,500 jobs per day—benefitting youth, women entrepreneurs, homestay owners, and service providers.
Improved connectivity, including better roads and airport capacity, remains a core focus to support the state’s tourism surge.
“This is just the beginning,” Conrad Sangma said. “Tourism will continue to be a key growth engine that benefits every citizen of Meghalaya.”
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