Shillong, Nov 23 (IANS): Meghalaya's tourism sector is predicted to reach Rs 12,000 crore by 2028 and the annual tourist count is projected to touch 20 lakhs, according to a senior state government official.

Speaking at the International Tourist Mart on Wednesday, the state's Tourism Director Cyril V.D. Diengdoh said Meghalya's tourist business was valued at Rs 1,600 crore in 2022 and is predicted to expand by 10 per cent yearly.

He asserted that the state government's initiatives to encourage business owners to engage in tourism-related projects are helping the industry.

"By 2028, we anticipate that Meghalaya's tourism sector will have grown to Rs 12,000 crore, or $1.5 billion, thanks to the state's pristine environment and cool climate, which will welcome 2 million or 20 lakh visitors annually," Cyril stated.

According to him, the industry was valued at about Rs 1,600 crore last year.

The tourism director also said that the state government anticipates that the business would increase by 10 per cent annually starting in 2024.

Over the past 10 years, the state has seen an almost two-fold increase in annual visitor traffic.

From 6.9 lakh in 2013 to 12.7 lakh this year, it has grown.

"According to statistics, there were 9.38 lakh domestic tourists, the majority of whom came from Assam (43 per cent) and West Bengal (14 per cent), with the remainder coming from other states," Cyril said.

Additionally, 10,000 foreign visitors have been welcomed by the state, with 79 per cent of them coming from Bangladesh, according to him.

The Meghalaya government official added that less than 2 lakh tourists visited the state in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic's significant impact on tourism.