The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has seen a substantial increase in tourism during this festive season of Diwali. This year, the Konkan belt has enjoyed the highest number of tourist inflow in Maharashtra followed by the Vidarbha region. Beaches and the forests of Maharashtra were the most preferred attractions apart from the World Heritage sites like Ajanta and Ellora.
Speaking exclusively to Financial Express Online, Dr Jagdish Patil, managing director, MTDC, said, ?This year, tourism in Maharashtra got an excellent response. The Konkan region has seen a 100 per cent occupancy, even the Vidarbha region did well.?
Speaking about the outcome of the MTDC show in Times Square, New York, which was hosted to increase the international tourist footfall in Maharashtra during Diwali, Patil said, ?The MTDC show in Times Square was hosted just to create awareness about Diwali, internationally. Many foreign tourists may not have visited Maharashtra during this festival season, but we cannot judge the success of that show as it was hosted only a month back. ?
This Diwali also saw an increase in the enquiries for the luxury train ‘ Deccan Odyssey’, both from international as well as domestic tourists. Satish Soni, joint managing director and director of tourism, government of Maharashtra, said, ?A lot of enquiries came in for the Deccan Odyssey. As usual, Ajanta and Ellora was one of the most visited place after Konkan.?
MTDC is also coming up with an unique Tourism Centre in Panhala, Kolhapur. This centre is designed and structured like an ancient fortress of Maharashtra. Patil stated, ?This new structure would be a place where the tourists can get local information and they can purchase things which are unique to Maharashtra. There would also be space for performing arts, where local artists can promote our culture. A space would be created where the travellers can rest for a while.? This new centre is scheduled to start by the end of December 2013.