Kongthong in race for UNWTO’s Best Tourism Village title
Shillong, Sept 8: Kongthong, which is among the whistling villages in East Khasi Hills, has been selected for entry to the UN World Tourism Organisation’s Best Tourism Village.
The village is known for its unique tradition of attaching a personalised tune to the name of every child born there. A few other villages, like Wahkhen, too have similar tradition. However, Kongthong has made it to the hall of fame.
In 2019, Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar Rakesh Sinha adopted the village and had suggested UNESCO tag for the hamlet.
“Two years ago, my adopted whistling village Kongthong was not known even to the people of Meghalaya. Now, it is ready for the Best Tourism Village in the world,” Sinha said.
He also tweeted the announcement in Hindi on Wednesday. Two more Indian villages are on the list.
In January this year, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had assured to release Rs 1 crore for developing tourism infrastructure at Kongthong.