The tourism development plan prepared by TCS has stated that of the total investment, Rs 86 crore needs to be diverted to roads (Rs 52 crore) water facilities (Rs 22 crore) and power (Rs 12 crore).

The TCS team surveyed 50 prospective locations and finalised over 20 potential sites to attract tourists. These include five main hubs such as Malvan, Vengurla, Kudal, Amboli and Mithav.

Apart from the usual tourist attractions like lakes and hills, places of religious/heritage importance have also been suggested for development.

Of the Rs 192 crore to be invested in the development of these sites, only Rs 8 crore need to be pumped in by the public sector and the balance by private players, says TCS.

The tourism development strategy has been formulated taking into account the opportunities for, and constraints, in development of tourism in Sindhudurg, says the report submitted to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) recently.

The terms of reference include assessment of sites, tourists profile and their needs, environmental impact and infrastructure requirement.

The report states that investment in infrastructure has been calculated on the basis of standard costs for that sector. Economic and financial feasibility analyses were undertaken for public sector investment suggested in the district.

For this purpose, social cost-benefit and discounted cash flow methods were undertaken.

The company has also prepared a human resource development plan to provide employment opportunities in the region. It has also suggested a marketing plan for the industry which aims to attract a target segment.

The promotion strategy focuses on print advertising, information distribution and efforts to improve public relations.

A media plan has been suggested for the three years beginning 1999 and a promotion budget of over Rs 2 crore has been proposed for the current year. All public sector investment should be routed through some implementing agency and made in phases, stated the report.

The report needs to be approved by the state government which, in turn, will allocate the needed funds for the sector.