Tourism industry has a great contribution in the development of the economy. As per the report of Ministry of tourism, tourism industry has contributed Rs.7.64 trillion in Indian economy and also provided 36.7 million jobs for the development of the economy in the year 2014. Report says that the contribution of the Indian tourism sector in the GDP of the country will grow by 7.8 % per annum from 2013-2023. This clearly visualizes the scope of the tourism industry in India in the coming days.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY:

Northeast India is known for its pristine beauty of nature. Nature has ornamented this place with its mesmerizing beauty. Northeast is enriched with various kinds of flora and fauna, varied wild life and blend of its different unique cultures. Surprisingly it has been found that despite of all, north east is getting lower attention of the tourists as compared to the other states of India. Today when one thinks of spending holidays, then Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa, Andaman, Himachal, Sikkim etc become the usual destinations for him. There are very few people who give thought of spending holidays in the North east. This study has been undertaken to understand the tourism market of Meghalaya with special attention to Cherrapunjee and to analyze the scope and challenges of the tourism industry in Cherrapunjee.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

In order to understand the importance of tourism industry for a particular country or state, number of research articles on tourism industry published in various renowned journals have been thoroughly studied and analyzed. For conceptual clarity of the readers on the importance of tourism management, the opinions of various authors have been pointed out here in review of literature. Aara. R. R and Dhindhsa. K. P (2015) stated in their study that tourism industry is showing its tremendous growth all over the world in current days. Tourism industry makes a significant contribution in the development of the economy of a country by creating enormous job opportunities. They also pointed out that tourism generates a number of social and community benefits like promotion of national integration, international understanding, removal of regional imbalance, opening up of new growth centers in the interior of the countryside, augmentation of foreign exchange etc. The rapid growth of tourism led to a growth of household income and government revenues directly and indirectly by means of multiplier effects, improving balance of payments and provoking tourism-promoted government policies. Finally the authors have concluded that development of tourism has generally been considered a positive contribution to the growth of the economy. Kakkar. L and Sapna (2012) stated that travel and tourism has been an integral part of Indian culture and tradition. Tourism industry has emerged as a multibillion industry in India. They also said that Indian tourism industry has taken the aim to change the attitude and behavior towards foreign tourist by stressing on the aspect that a guest has been held in high esteem in India since ancient times.

Xiang. Z and Gretzel. U (2010) have investigated the importance of social media as online travel information source for the travelers. They said that social media constitute a substantial part of the search results, indicating that search engines likely direct travelers to social media sites. Authors have confirmed in their study that social media gained importance in online tourism in the present days. Wang. C, Qu. H and Hsu. K.M (2015) proposed and tested theoretical model of tourist expectation formation and seeks to explore the gender differences regarding how tourists make their expectations towards a travel destination. They investigated and found that travel information, advertising and word-of–mouth (WOM) have a positive effect on cognitive image. Both cognitive image and affective image have a positive impact on tourist expectations towards travel destination. They pointed out that impacts of travel motivation and advertising on cognitive image and of cognitive image on tourist expectations were significantly stronger for males than females while the effects of WOM on cognitive image and of affective image on tourist expectations were stronger for females than males. Ram. Y, Bjork. P and Weidenfeld. A (2015) said that place attachment is an antecedent of visitor attractions and visitor attractions contribute to the perceived authenticity of tourism destination. Chapman. A (2015) stated that tourist destination can be considered as a mosaic of elements, each of which can follow a lifecycle that is different from that of the destination overall. Kaur. M and Sharma. N (2012) analyzed that tourism industry in India is growing and it will generate employment and will earn large amount of foreign exchange for the country. They also pointed out that as tourism industry is a multi dimensional activity and as it is a service industry so it is necessary that all units of central government, state government, private sector and voluntary organization should become active partner for attaining a sustainable growth in tourism sector in India. Das. D (2012-13) has focused the scope of tourism industry in North east India in his study. The author said though there is enormous scope for tourism in North eastern states of India but even then the tourism industry is not fully developed here due to some of the notable reasons such as Lack of infrastructure, Communication bottleneck, geographical isolation, ethnic clashes leading to political instability, growth of insurgent activities, lack of fund etc. Bhattacharya. P(2008) has found in his study that tourism in north east is attraction centric rather than based on a sound and organized developmental perspective. As a result the region is not yet in a position to offer better experience to tourists. For successful development of tourism sector, this region requires better management at the local government level to guide, facilitate and coordinate the process, so that tourism sectors can sustain in local socio-economic situation and contribute meaningfully in the areas concerned. Duarah. I and Mili. B (2013) stated that though government has taken some steps to improve the tourism industry in north east India but till date it remains as one of the least preferred choice as tourist destination. Image improvement, infrastructure up-gradation and administrative and security concerns need to be taken care of seriously for the sustainable growth of tourism in North east.

OVERVIEW OF CHERRAPUNJEE:

The name Cherrapunjee had been derived from its original name Sohra, which was pronounced as “Churra” by the British. With the passage of time the name had been evaluated as Cherrapunjee but later the government of Meghalaya had renamed its name as Sohra. It is 56 km away from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. Shillong is one of the largest hill stations in India, which had been made the capital of Assam during British regime in India. The adorable picturesque beauty of this hill station had mesmerized British when they visited this place and they crowned it as the Scottland of East . Cherrapunjee is located at 4500 feet above sea level in the Khasi hills of Meghalaya. It is bestowed with the privilege of having world’s highest rainfall due to its unique geographical location. Monsoon is the only season here which lasts all round the year. The average rainfall is 12000 mm per year. The highest annual rainfall recorded was 24555mm in 1974. The maximum rainfall recorded in a single day was 1040 mm in 1876. Cherrapunjee made its place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the rainiest place on the planet. Due to climatic change, Cherrapunjee had missed its crown of being the wettest place on the earth. Mawsynram, a place just 10 km away from Cherrapunjee now holds the crown of being the wettest place on the earth because of receiving world’s highest rainfall. Cherrapunjee or Sohra was declared as the capital of Assam by the British in 1832 but later due to its rigid climatic condition, the capital was shifted to Shillong in 1866. Though Cherrapunjee lost its glory of being the wettest place on the earth but its panoramic landscape has enriched its beauty. The place where one can embrace the clouds. This place is endowed with many wonders of nature such Living root bridge which is unique in the world, where roots of the trees made the large bridges. It is a perfect example of bioengineering.

DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN INDIA:

Indian tourism industry is significantly growing since last decade. As per the report published by ministry of tourism (Govt. of India, Ministry tourism report 2014), the total number of foreign tourists arrived in India in the year 2014 is 7.68 Million which is grown by 10.2% annually compared to previous year. The total number of domestic tourists visited to all Indian states and Union Territories in the year 2014 is 1290 million which is grown by 12.9% annually compared to last year.

Table-1 Foreign tourist arrival (FTA(s)) in India 1998 to 2015 (till August) and percentage change of growth over previous year.

Year	FTA(s) in India (In Millions)	Percentage (%) Change of Growth over previous year
1998	2.36	-0.7
1999	2.48	5.2
2000	2.65	6.7
2001	2.54	-4.2
2002	2.38	-6
2003	2.73	14.3
2004	3.46	26.8
2005	3.92	13.3
2006	4.45	13.5
2007	5.08	14.3
2008	5.28	4
2009	5.17	-2.2
2010	5.78	11.8
2011	6.31	9.2
2012	6.58	4.3
2013	6.97	5.9
2014	7.68	10.2
2015 (P) (Jan-Aug)	5.07	4.5 @

(P): Provisional, @ Growth rate Jan-Aug 2015

(Source: - (i) Bureau of immigration, Govt. of India for 1998 to 2014) (ii) Ministry of tourism, Govt. of India for Jan-Aug 2015)

This clearly indicates the significant growth of tourism industry in India but it is equally disappointing to note the imperceptible growth of tourism industry in the north eastern states of India. Till today north east India remains as one of the least preferred tourist destination for the visitors. Even though when one thinks of spending holidays in north east, Shillong (Meghalaya), Guwahati and Kaziranga National park (Famous for One Horn Rhino) in Assam become the three common obvious choices for him. Despite of having panoramic beauty, Cherrapunjee remains unattended by many tourists. Nowadays some tourists make a trip to Cherrapunjee but the trip is hardly of few hours. To explore Cherrapunjee and to feel the beauty of nature, one must stay 2-3 days in that place.

SCOPE OF TOURISM INDUSTRY IN CHERRAPUNJEE:

Explore Cherrapunjee:

Cherrapunjee is enriched with natural beauties. There are number of beautiful tourist destinations in Cherrapunjee. It is a heaven for the nature lovers. Some of the important tourist destinations are discussed here.

Double Decker Living Root Bridge-The wonder of nature: -

It is unique in the world. It is the perfect example of bioengineering. There is a two-tier bridge which is made of roots of an Indian rubber tree (Ficus Elastica). It is about 100 feet long and it has a carrying capacity of about 50 people at a time. A hilly river is flowing beneath the double Decker living Root Bridge which has been originated from a nearby waterfall. This living root bridge is estimated to be 400-500 years old.

Image-1: Double Decker Living Root Bridge

Source: Photograph taken by the author during primary data collection

Nohkalikai Waterfalls:

It is located at a distance of 5 KM away from Cherrapunjee. It is the 4^th highest waterfall in the world. Here water is falling from a height of 1100 ft.

Krem Mawmluh Cave:

There are large number of caves in the Jayantia, Khashi and Garo hills in the Indian state of Meghalaya. These caves are amongst the longest caves in the world. Krem Mawmluh cave is the fourth longest cave in India with a height of 4503 meter.

Nohsngithiang falls:

It is the fourth highest water falls in India. It is commonly known as Seven Sisters Waterfalls. There are total seven waterfalls falling together from the same hill.

Mawlynnong-The cleanest village in Asia:

It is located at a distance of 92 Km away from Cherrapunjee in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. It has been awarded as the cleanest village in Asia in the year 2003. It is also known as ‘God’s own garden. Despite of having breathtaking natural beauties, Cherrapunjee is facing number of obstacles in the development of tourism industry. Some challenges faced by Cherrapunjee tourism are discussed below.

CHALLENGES FACED BY CHERRAPUNJEE TOURISM:-

· Poor Infrastructure:

Despite of being bestowed with pristine beauty, the tourism industry in Cherrapunjee is still in its primitive stage. Few years ago there was not even a single hotel/resort in Cherrapunjee. Tourists had to stay in Shillong and made a day trip to Cherrapunjee. Nowadays there are only four resorts in Cherrapunjee and all of them are expensive. Till date there is not a single budget hotel/resort.

· Geographical Isolation:

The entire locality in Cherrapunjee is scattered all around. There is no proper market place or commercial areas like other tourist places. Its looks like No Man’s land. Some shops are scattered here and there in the locality.

· Rigid Climatic Condition:

There is only one season in Cherrapunjee and that is monsoon. Its rains all round the year. There is no night life. Tourists have to spend their evening in the resort itself. They cannot go outside in the evening because there is nothing to do and also it constantly rains outside.

· Poor Transportation:

Though it is only 56km away from Shillong but the transportation facility is very poor. There is only roadway communication. There are very few public transports from Cherrapunjee to Shillong. For visiting Cherrapunjee one has to hire cab from Shillong or if stayed in resorts in Cherrapunjee, they have to inform the resort authority in advance for hiring cab.

· Lack of Support from the Government:

Shillong being the capital of Meghalaya and one of the largest hill stations in India is developing day by day but on the other hand Cherrapunjee is deprived of getting proper support from government for the development of tourism.

· Lack of Tourism Marketing Strategy:

Lack of improper tourism marketing strategy is another big challenge faced by Cherrapunjee tourism industry. In the age of online tourism it is very important for any tourist destination to have a well designed website which contains all the necessary information about that destination. In case of Cherrapunjee tourism industry, it has been found that their tourism website does not contain all the necessary information such as contact details of the resorts or travel agency, limited information about the tourist attraction places, tourist’s feedback, lack of creativity in the web advertisement etc.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

· To study the tourism market of Cherrapunjee in the state of Meghalaya.

· To analyze the challenges faced by tourism industry in Cherrapunjee.

· To identify the scope of tourism industry in Cherrapunjee.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

· Does Cherrapunjee have the opportunities for the growth of tourism industry?

· Is there any challenges faced by the tourism industry in Cherrapunjee?

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

· Time constraint is a major limitation in the survey conducted.

· Rigid climatic condition of the area.

· Subjectivity of the personal biasness of the respondents.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

This study is exploratory in nature and it is based on both primary and secondary research. The primary survey has been conducted in Cherrapunjee in the state of Meghalaya by the author in the month of July 2016. For the purpose of the study, primary data has been collected by the author from the target respondents which include both tourists and the people of tourism industry such as employees of resorts, tourist guide, travel agents, cab drivers etc.

Sampling Technique:

Convenience sampling.

Size of the Sample:

Responses have been collected from the sample of 50 respondents. It includes 30 tourists who were present at the time of survey and 20 people from the tourism industry which includes travel agent, employees of the Cherrapunjee holiday resort, Cab driver, and tourist guide.

Period of the study:

May 2016 to July 2016. Primary survey conducted in the month of July 2016 during Cherrapunjee visit by the author.

Area of the study:

This study has been undertaken in Cherrapunjee in the Indian state of Meghalaya.

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION:

1. Primary data collection:

(a) Questionnaire method:

Structured questionnaire were used to collected data from the targeted respondents which includes both open ended and close ended questions and total 8 questions were designed for this purpose.

(b) Observational method:

Direct observational method was used by the author to collect primary data during his visits in Cherrapunjee.

2. Secondary data collection:

To collect the secondary data different journals, news paper, ministry of tourism websites and other different websites were used.

DATA ANALYSIS:

Data collected through the primary survey were analyzed by using descriptive statistic method. After collecting the data, it has been analyzed by calculating sample mean.

(1) = = Mean of tourists’ feedback

Where, = Sample mean of tourists feedback, n = Number of tourists surveyed during primary data collection, ∑=Summation, = Tourists feedback.

(2) = = Mean of employees’ feedback

Where, =Sample mean of employees feedback, n = Number of employees surveyed during primary data collection, ∑ =Summation, = Employees’ feedback.

In order to collect the data in the first part of the primary survey, 6 (Six) questions were asked to different tourists who were present during the primary survey in Cherrapunjee. The first question was asked “How do you rate the natural beauty of Cherrapunjee? And the respondents have been asked to rate on five point rating scale where 5 stand for Excellent, 4 stands for very good, 3 stand for good, 2 stands for average, 1 stands for poor”. The second question was asked “How do you rate the availability of resorts or hotels in Cherrapunjee? And the respondents have been asked to rate on five point rating scale where 5 stands for highly available, 4 stands Moderately available, 3 stands for fairly available, 2 stands very less number of resorts, 1 stands for Not available. The third question was asked “How do you rate the transportation system in Cherrapunjee? And the respondents have been asked to rate on five point rating scale where 5 stand for Excellent, 4 stands for very good, 3 stand for Average, 2 stands for fare, 1 stands for poor”. The fourth question was asked “How do you rate the availability of other recreational facilities in Cherrapunjee? And the respondents have been asked to rate on five point rating scale where 5 stands for Highly available, 4 stands for Moderately available, 3 stands for Farley available , 2 stands for less available , 1 stands for Not available”. The fifth question was asked “How do you rate the availability of information regarding Cherrapunjee tourism over internet? And the respondents have been asked to rate on five point rating scale where 5 stand for Excellent, 4 stands for very good, 3 stand for good, 2 stands for average, 1 stands for poor”. In order to analyze data, sample mean has been calculated.

DATA INTERPRETATION:

By analyzing the data (Table No:-2), it has been found that only natural beauty has the highest mean (mean#4.5) among all the five variables and which is very close to the maximum value 5 on five point rating scale. All other variables Availability of resorts (mean# 2.23), Transportation facility (mean#2.53), Recreational facility mean# 1.93), Tourism information (mean #3.06) have lower mean even lower than over all mean (mean # 2.85) except tourism information (mean#3.06) which is higher than average. This clearly shows that the tourists are happy with the natural beauty of Cherrapunjee which is the main attraction of tourism in that place but they are not at all satisfied with all other facilities related to tourism management development in Cherrapunjee. In the second part of the survey, by analyzing the responses of the employees of Cherrapunjee tourism industry (Table No:-4), it has been found that all variable geographical isolation (mean#4.45), rigid climatic condition (mean#4.25), lack of focus (mean#4.3), tourists perception (mean # 3.6) and cost of goods (mean #4.6). Except tourists perception all other variables mean is higher than over all mean (mean#4.22). This clearly shows that all these factors are creating obstacle in the development of the tourism sector in Cherrapunjee.

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY:

1. It has been found that Cherrapunjee has wide scope of tourism as it is enriched with natural beauty but till date tourism industry in Cherrapunjee is underdeveloped.

2 Infrastructure is very poor as there are only four resorts/hotels in entire Cherrapunjee which is very insignificant compared to other tourist destination in India.

3. Another major obstacle on the path of the development of tourism in Cherrapunjee is geographical isolation. It is scattered all around. It is important for any tourist destination to build township in a particular area and all resorts/hotels, shops, restaurant etc. should be in one place but which is not in case of Cherrapunjee.

4. Transportation facility is very poor in Cherrapunjee. There are few public transports. For visiting Cherrapunjee, one need to hire vehicle from Shillong otherwise it become difficult for the tourists to move out from that area.

5. Recreational facility is also very poor. There is no night life like other tourists destination though climate may be one of the reasons for that. It has been found that there is no such other attraction for tourists such as cable car, shopping complex etc. Even though there is no scope for any adventures sports like paragliding, river rafting etc. which is very common in any hill station.

6. It has also been found that tourism in Cherrapunjee is getting less focus as compared to any other tourists’ destination in the country. Till today tourists who visit Shillong make a day trip to Cherrapunjee, where as to explore real beauty of Cherrapunjee one needs to stay there for 2-3 days. Even tourism marketing is also very poor for Cherrapunjee. There is very little information about Cherrapunjee in Internet which is a common platform for promotional activities nowadays.

7. The prevailing reason for the inferior tourism development in Cherrapunjee is the lack of proper support from the Government. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya is counted as one of the largest and renowned hill station in India whereas Cherrapunjee which is just 56 km away from Shillong is looks like an isolated lonely planet.

8. Finally, it has also been observed that the perception of the tourists about north east India except few places is in very bad shape. Majority people think that north east is not at all a safe place to visit. There is a prevailing insurgency problem in north east. There is nothing to explore. The entire north east is covered with dense forest and there is no scope for tourism, practically which is not true.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. It is suggested that government should take proper care for the development of tourism in Cherrapunjee because there is a wide scope for the development of tourism in Cherrapunjee.

2. It has also been suggested that steps should be taken to focus Cherrapunjee tourism and bring Cherrapunjee tourism in lime light.

3. Infrastructure should be developed. It is not only the sole responsibility of the government to develop tourism in Cherrapunjee but the local people should give their major concern for this because tourism is the prime source of revenue for them. More resorts/hotel should open in this place.

4. Effective implementation of the tourism marketing strategy will change the perception of the tourists about north east tourism and it will help to attract more tourists to explore Cherrapunjee in future.

CONCLUSION:

Cherrapunjee is gifted with beauty of nature but till date mass people are unaware about this. There is a wide scope for tourism industry in Cherrapunjee. So it is the prime responsibility of the people of Cherrapunjee and the Meghalaya government along with government of India to take the initiative for the development of tourism sector in Cherrapunjee which will help to develop the economy of the state as well as of the country.

REFERENCES:

1. Aara. R. R and Dhindhsa. K.P, 2015, strategic marketing planning for the tourism industry of Jammu and Kashmir, South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage, Vol.8.No.2,P-117 to 128.

2. Bhattacharya. P, 2008, Tourism development in north east India: changing recreational demand, developmental challenges and issues associates with sustainability, European bulletin of Himalayan Research, 32P-143-161.

3. Chapman. A, 2015, exploring the tourist destination as a mosaic: The alternative lifecycles of the seaside amusement arcade sector in Britain, Tourism management, Vol. 52, P-254-263.

4. Das. D, 2012-13, Tourism industry in north East Indian states: prospects and problem, Global research methodology journal, Vol-II, 7^th issue, P-1-6.

5. Duarah. I and Mili. B, 2013, tourism potentiality in north east India, International journal of science and research, Vol-2, Issue-10, P-1-3.

6. Ghosh. S, 2008, Rural tourism, The ICFAI University Press, 52, Nagarjuna Hills, Punjagutta, Hyderabad.

7. Ghosh. B, 2000, Tourism and travel management, Vikash Publishing house Pvt. Ltd, A-22, sector-4, Noida.

8. K Suresh, 2004, Travel and Tourism, the ICFAI University Press, 52, Nagarjuna Hills, Punjagutta, Hyderabad.

9. Kakkar. L and Sapna, 2012, Impact of tourism on Indian economy, International journal of marketing, financial services and management research, Vol. 1. No.4, P-70-75.

10. Kaur. M and Sharma. N, 2012, Growth and development of Indian tourism industry, Journal of hospitality application and Research, Vol.7.No.2, P-14-24.

11. Panda. K. T and Mishra. S (2006), Tourism Marketing, the ICFAI University Press, 52, Nagarjuna Hills, Punjagutta, Hyderabad.

12. Ram. Y, Bjork. P and Weidenfeld. A, 2015, Authenticity and place attachment of major visitor attractions, Tourism management, Vol.52, P-110-122.

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15. Wang. C, Qu. H and Hsu. K.M, 2015, towards an integrated model of tourist expectation formation and gender difference, Tourism Management, Vol.54, P-58-71.

List of Websites Referred:

www.megtourism.gov.in /Retrieved on 20/07/16

www.tourism-of-india.com/cherrapunjee.html/ Retrieved on 20/07/16

Received on 22.02.2017 Modified on 19.05.2017

Asian J. Management; 2017; 8(3):591-598.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5763.2017.00095.6

Question Number	Factors of Cherrapunjee tourism	Mean of tourists feedback	Overall of the mean
1	Natural beauty of Cherrapunjee	4.5	2.85
2	Availability of resorts/hotels in Cherrapunjee	2.23
3	Transportation facility in Cherrapunjee	2.53
4	Availability of recreational facilities in Cherrapunjee	1.93
5	Availability of information regarding Cherrapunjee tourism over Internet	3.06
	Total Mean	14.25

Name of the factors creating obstacle for the tourism development in Cherrapunjee	Mean of the response of People from tourism industry	Overall Mean
Geographical isolation	4.45	4.22
Rigid climatic condition	4.25
Lack of focus	4.3
Perception of tourists about NE tourism	3.5
Cost of goods	4.6
Total mean	21.10

Name of the factors	Mean of the response of People of tourism industry
Support from the Government	2.85