Tourism in Meghalaya: A case study of the cleanest village in India

The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of tourism on the income of households. Further, factors such as education and gender of the household head have also been considered to ascertain the extent of their influence on income. The study is based on primary data which was collected from Mawlynnong Village located in East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya, considered as one of the cleanest village in India. It has been found from the study that occupation determines income of households. However, as compared to agriculture the income generated from tourism is much higher leading us to conclude that tourism could indeed be an alternative source of livelihood for the people. In addition to it, education and gender of the head of households does not appear to impact income significantly. The study also finds that majority of the villagers nourish positive attitude towards tourism as a means for improving their standard of living.