The concept of atithi devo bhava (guest is god) will be emulated by “tourist police” in Meghalaya to ensure safety of visitors flocking to the Scotland of the East.

Meghalaya police have engaged tourist police in places like Sohra which are scenic destinations that attract hordes of travellers.

“As part of our pilot project, tourist police in Meghalaya will emulate the concept of ‘atithi devo bhava’ to ensure safety of tourists visiting our state,” Meghalaya police said on their Facebook page.

On Sunday, a senior police officer and tourist police personnel were seen greeting tourists from Thailand who were visiting Sohra.

The tourists were part of the Asian Road Rally covering Thailand, Myanmar, India and Malaysia.

“We are committed to ensuring that tourists, both foreign and domestic, feel safe and are able to enjoy the beautiful landscape and culture of Meghalaya,” the police added.

Tourism department statistics reveal that 11,97,768 domestic and 18,047 foreign tourists visited Meghalaya last year with a chunk of them visiting East Khasi Hills where the state capital is located.

Of the foreign tourists, 14,729 landed in East Khasi Hills.

West Garo Hills, the main centre of the entire Garo hills region, attracted 74,729 domestic tourists during that period.

In 2017, 989,628 domestic and 12,051 foreign tourists visited Meghalaya while the corresponding figures in 2016 were 844,646 and 8,449 respectively.

Around 750,470 domestic and 8,027 foreign tourists visited Meghalaya in 2015, while in 2014 there were 717,814 domestic and 8,652 foreign tourists.

So far this year, the tourism department statistics states that 184,429 domestic and 7,506 foreign tourists have visited Meghalaya.

The tourism department said there are 426 registered lodging facilities across the state. These include 215 hotels, 80 homestays, 72 guesthouses, 25 resorts, 24 lodges, six circuit houses and six accommodations with bed and breakfast facilities.