Category Archives: States

Goa’s new tourism minister, Manohar Azgaonkar, has outlined his priorities for tourism this year with safety and security of tourists topping the list. He has said, “We have set the agenda for tourism in Goa, with safety and security of tourist being our number one priority for the tourism department. The Goa government through the Home department is augmenting  budgets  for improving  safety and security measures in the state keeping in mind  the tourism  industry and the importance of providing  a safe  holiday for tourists visiting Goa.” From 27.88 lakhs tourist arrivals in 2012, the number went up to 63.30 lakhs arrivals in 2016 reflecting an increase of 44 per cent in both domestic and foreign arrivals to the state. Of this, almost 6.80 lakhs are international tourists. The e-tourist visa alone contributed to one lakh tourists arrivals a year, with other arrivals by luxury cruise vessels, charters. While security measures  have been  augmented over the years at the  Goa airport,  security measures at the State borders have  also been tightened giving tourists a sense of  surety  on the safety cover  available  in the State  right from point  of arrival. Safety measures at hotels, tourist spots and across the state is visible and increasing substantially. A  safety  and security cover on the beach through a 100 odd IRB force,  more than  600 lifeguards, special women taxi services  and  CCTV cameras at  several tourist locations  have  added  more impetus on safety measures in the state. The State government through the Department of Tourism have availed of  funds  under the Swadesh Darshan scheme for installing CCTV cameras  on the beach belt. The first phase  which covers  Sinquerim to Keri  is already in progress  …

Odisha Tourism has set a target to provide quality infrastructure services at all Buddhist sites in the next one year. According to Nitin Jawale, Tourism Director, Government of Odisha, promotional activities in six South Asian countries will be increased this year. Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Government of Odisha, also urged the stakeholders in tourism industry to promote Odisha’s Buddhist sites. “The Government aims to promote the rich Buddhist legacy of Odisha. Whether Buddha visited the state or not may be matter of debate, but no one can deny the prominent position Buddhism had in Kalinga, even before the Kalinga War,” Patnaik reportedly said during the 4th Kalinga International Buddhist Conclave in Bhubaneshwar. He further added that Odisha is the only state with a unique distinction of having a continuous living tradition of Buddhism in villages like Maniabandha, Naupatna, Ragadi and Mahammadpur. Jawale informed that the tourism department also has plans to bring Buddhist relics that were excavated from Lalitgiri to the State Museum for public viewing at regular intervals. They will be finally relocated from the strong room of the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) Bhubaneswar circle office to a museum near Lalitgiri by the end of December.

In a bid to boost tourism, Maharashtra Tourism has signed an MoU with Ola. Under this MoU, the state tourism and Ola will set up a mutual system of cooperation based on the respective expertise, to reinvent the ‘Mumbai Darshan’ package with its own offers pertaining to Ola Rentals. These packages offer 10 hour rides or for 100 kms subject to the conditions provided on the Ola App in four categories namely Mini, Prime Play, Prime Sedan, and Prime SUV. The Mumbai Darshan package will cover 10 must visit destinations of the city. Those identified are Gateway of India, Haji Ali, Juhu Beach, Bandra-Worli sea link, Hanging Gardens. Marine Drive, Shahrukh Khan’s bungalow ‘Mannat’. The locations can be modified basis the requirement of the customers. The first batch of exclusively co-branded Mumbai Darshan and Maharashtra Tourism cars were flagged-off by Jayakumar Rawal, Tourism Minister,  Government of Maharashtra, along with Valsa Nair Singh, Principal Secretary-Tourism, and Pranay Jivrajka, Founding Partner at Ola, in Mumbai on April 12, 2017. The state tourism department in association with Ola will train drivers in imparting information related to Mumbai Darshan, Bollywood trivia, details of heritage legacy and hidden gems. Pick up points across the city have been provided by Ola who are the official partners for the ‘Visit Maharashtra’ Campaign. Rawal said,  “Keeping in mind the global trends and the boom in the digital market scenario, we are glad to partner with Ola. Transportation is one of the most important areas where technology can make a big difference. Ola is a pioneer in public transport space and we are confident that this tie up will benefit the entire transportation ecosystem in the state. This not only lets …

Goa has appointed a new tourism minister Manohar Azgaonkar. Under his leadership, Goa Tourism is planning to introduce new initiatives and infrastructure projects, promote the diverse cultures of the state and focus on improving all its products and services. Azgaonkar has travelled extensively and is set to infuse new concepts and ideas into the tourism sector here in Goa. In another development, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has re-appointed Nilesh Cabral as Chairman. He is the current MLA of Curchorem Taluka. Under his leadership, GTDC has taken huge strides and given a new dimension to Goa Tourism. In his previous stint as Chairman of GTDC, the corporation achieved several milestones i.e the GTDC became a profit making corporation, introduced new and attractive activities and initiatives, formed a (Special Purpose Vehicle) SPV cell to expedite tourism infrastructure projects, procured funding from Central Govt. schemes and has lined up new project for construction and commissioning in the next two to three years.

To leverage tourism sector in Assam, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 98.35 crores for a Heritage Circuit in the state. This was announced by Mahesh Sharma, Tourism Minister, Government of India. This amount which has been sanctioned for development of the Tezpur, Majuli and Sivasagar circuit under the scheme of Swadesh Darshan includes development of a composite tourist infrastructure in Majuli, comprising of an interpretation centre near Kamalabari ghat, log huts, watch towers, cafeteria, elevated walkway, solar illumination and landscaping worth Rs. 61.26 crores, development of Ranghar, Joy Sagar and Talatal Ghar in Sivasagar and development of Kanaklata Udyan and Bamuni Hills in Tezpur. Also, the Tourism Ministry has decided to transfer the rights of Brahmaputra Ashok Hotel, currently managed by ITDC, to Government of Assam. All necessary modalities to formalize the transfer of rights will be executed within next 15 days. An amount of Rs. 2 crore was also sanctioned by MoT for the Namami Brahmaputra festival organized for the first time by the Government of Assam to glorify the river Brahmaputra as well as to promote tourism, economy and civilization of the state at global arena. Source: Economic Times

Mizoram, one of the seven sister states received a total of 770 foreign tourists arrivals during the nine month period from April 2016 to January 2017. This was informed by John Rotluangliana, Tourism Minister, Government of Mizoram. Rotluangliana added that efforts are underway to concentrate on eco tourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism to attract more tourists. The state is focusing on both domestic and international tourists to boost its economy. He further said that Integrated Development of New Ecotourism under Swadesh Darshan – North East Circuit was being undertaken at Thenzawl and South Zote villages in Serchhip district and Reiek village in Mamit district. Also, implementation of Rural Home Stay Scheme was being taken up in six villages in Champai district on Myanmar border with fund from the New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) of the state government. Source: The Statesman

Four-day Jammu Mahotsav will be held from April 13-16 which will showcase the cultural heritage and multi-cuisine of the land of Dogras. According to Priya Sethi, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Floriculture and Parks, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, this festival will mark the beginning for Jammu in taking its spot in the national and international tourist circuit as an independent and attractive tourist destination. “Jammu Mahotsav is a step to elevate Jammu beyond its existing identity primarily as a religious tourism destination and make it a hub for multi-faceted tourist activities. This event will also be made an annual feature for the city,” she said. Special packages will also be introduced in association with Jammu Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) during the festival to facilitate and divert the tourist movement to nearby tourist destinations in the region. The main events of the festival will be held at Bagh-e-Bahu. “Local cultural extravaganza and cultural carnival are planned on April 11 and 12, live performance by Lakhwinder Wadali and laser show on April 13, live performance by Abhay Sopori on April 14, and live performance by Jassi Gill and Babbal Rai on April 16. Folk dances and cultural programs, multi-cuisine stalls and cultural modelling show are some of the other programmes for the event,” said Sethi. She further added that in Jammu and Kashmir a self-sustained tourism model was being implemented in all three regions of the state for inclusive socio-economic development besides ensuring emergence of each region as exclusive independent tourist destination. (Source: PTI)

Telangana Government has proposed heliports at various locations in the state to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in an attempt to boost tourism and exploit commercially potential areas. These heliports have been proposed at Dundigal, Hakimpet, Nadirgul in Hyderabad, Basanthnagar in Karimnagar, Nagarjunasagar, Nalgonda, Alair (Yadagirigutta), Warangal and Kagaznagar (Sirpur). The state is also planning to develop new greenfield airports at Zakranpally, Nizamabad, National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) at Zaheerabad. According to V.N. Bharat Reddy, Director-Aviation, Government of Telangana, “The state government has submitted the proposals to Ministry of Civil Aviation under Regional Connectivity Scheme for 10 unserved airports. These can be converted into full-fledged airports in future.” Since air trafiic is on the rise travellers can avail heliservices. For instance, the state government has taken up development of Yadagirigutta temple and a heliport is being proposed at Alair. Similarly, Nagarjunasagar in Nalgonda district has always been a tourist spot. Kagaznagar and NIMZ are industrial areas where individuals can avail of the facility, apart from VIPs. Source: Times of India

The largest North Eastern state has signed MoU between four key partners to work together to promote and attract tourists to the state. The partners include OxigenWallet – the official e-wallet partner for the department of tourism, MakeMyTrip – the official partner in the online travel portal category, Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI) as the official partner, and Fly Wings – the partner for hospitality training. This was announced at the state’s first conclave in New Delhi which was graced by Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home, Govt. of India, along with other dignitaries like Ajay Singh, CMD, SpiceJet. Arunachal Pradesh is heavily cashing in on the adventure segment and is fostering awareness through adventure festivals like the three-day Mechuka adventure festival held in November 2016. Speaking at the conclave, Dr Joram Besa, Tourism Secretary, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh said, “The state is investing to become the adventure and exotic tourism hub of India. The role of tourism partners in building awareness and encouraging on the unique attractions this state offers is paramount. In 2017, we expect the number of tourist arrivals to grow exponentially.” The state received over 3.5 lakh tourists in 2016.

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in association with Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) has introduced mine tourism in Nagpur to showcase the abundant coal mining resources in Maharashtra and outline the intricacies of coal mining. It has started selling packages that are valid from March 31, 2017 to April 30, 2017. Tourists will get to descend 500 metres below the surface into the WCL coalmine in Saoner near Nagpur to experience the hardship of miners and learn about the machines involved. Additionally, they will also get an opportunity to tour an eco-park and visit the open cast mine in Gondegaon. The one-day itinerary costs Rs. 650 and includes transport, lunch and security equipment.