Tag Archives: Government of Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government has renewed its MoU with Wakayama Prefectural Japan (WPJ) for five years. The agreement was signed by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Yoshinobu Nisaka San, Governor of Wakayama. The MoU commenced in 2013 with the purpose of enhancing relations between Maharashtra and Japan for expanding association in the field of tourism and investment, and promote agro and food processing units. More than 40 delegates from WPG visited Indian Merchant Chamber to promote the prospects of Wakayama. The delegates also visited various heritage sites and commercial hubs in Mumbai including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalay (CSMVS), Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and BSE to understand the importance of these heritage sites and explore the diversity of the state. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism & (EGS), Government of Maharashtra, said, “I am delighted to be associated with Wakayama Prefectural Government and the MoU is a great stage for us to surge our global footmark and put Maharashtra on the international map. This MoU has strengthened the ties between two states of the nations.”

In a first-of-its-kind, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Airbnb will be associating with the residents of Elephanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to benefit them by providing more job opportunities. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism & (EGS), Government of Maharashtra said, “In order to support this, the Ministry of Tourism & Culture has implemented several schemes and events offering financial assistance to people, groups and cultural administrations involved in various artforms. The Indian tourism sector is the fastest growing amongst the G20 countries and organising such a festival at the UNESCO World Heritage Site will ensure that our country’s tourism sector grow by $48 billion by 2020.” MTDC organised its annual Elephanta Festival 2018 on January 27 and 28, 2018 at Elephanta Caves. The festival included music and dance performances with a backdrop of rock sculptures, caves and pillars. More than 400 to 700 visitors participated in this festival. Considering the strategic position of the Elephanta Caves, the Mumbai Port Trust will be constructing India’s first and largest ropeway to link Mumbai with the island within the coming three years. The 8-km long ropeway will commence from eastern coastline of Mumbai, Sewri and finish at Raigad district at Gharapuri Island.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in association with the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, is set to launch the first edition of the Mumbai Shopping Festival (MSF). India’s first-of-its-kind citywide three-week festival will be celebrated from January 12-31, 2018 across Mumbai. The festival will include immersive retail experiences clubbed with live performances across the city. In lieu of the recent notification by the Government of Maharashtra where shops and establishments can now stay open 24X7, the Ministry of Tourism and MTDC will set up Mumbai’s first-ever Night Bazaar Flea Market which will go on till 4 am on weekends only. To enhance visibility of the Mumbai Shopping Festival, MTDC has teamed up with various associations with various retail and commerce bodies. Shopping partners for the Mumbai Shopping Festival 2018 include major malls and retail chains in Mumbai. Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, said, “I am pleased to announce this festival as we launch Mumbai as a world-class shopping destination. We are delighted to see interest from our partners including retailers, brands, restaurants, who have given innumerable hours to making the Mumbai Shopping Festival a reality. We look forward to the participation of each and every Mumbaikar, and citizens of the country in joining us to celebrate this mega extravaganza.”

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) showcased various culinary offerings of the state through the Maharashtra Food Festival held in Nagpur from December 20-25, 2017.  The six-day festival offered authentic vegetarian and non-vegetarian Maharashtrian delicacies. MTDC has also held a meeting with several hotels and restaurant chains in Nagpur to create awareness about this event. Apart from food, activities like a musical show by popular Marathi singer Savani Ravindra, fashion show by LAD College, lavani performance, rock band show and folk dances were also held. The art forms, handlooms and handicrafts of the state were also be exhibited. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism & (EGS), Government of Maharashtra, said, “The aim behind organising such a festival is to bring together people from different walks of life to taste the diverse cuisine of the state. The food festival is guaranteed to satisfy the taste buds of every traveller. The Hospitality & Tourism industry in Maharashtra is expected to grow at a rapid pace between now and 2025. We are also planning to tie-up with the private hospitality colleges to offer internship to students in our resorts and generate employment opportunities.”    

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has organised the Sarangkheda Chetak Festival 2017 from December 3, 2017 – January 2, 2018 to attract domestic and foreign tourists to the Nandurbar district. Witnessing the arrival of more than 2,500 horses, the month long festival will exhibit horse dance shows and pawara, a tribal dance by the locals of Nandurbar. Inaugurating the festival, Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism & (EGS), Government of Maharashtra, said, “We want to promote the rich legacy of horses and take this festival on a global platform. Sarangkheda has been organising this festival for more than 300 years. The festival displayed horses from states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Afghanistan and Gujarat.” An amount of Rs 4.98 crore has been allocated for the horse museum which will educate visitors about the numerous qualities of breed, marking, lifespan, colour, etc. of horses. The dome-shaped museum will be constructed on 6.5 acres land along the Tapi River. MTDC and Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra is dedicated to take this festival to a global podium through the development of infrastructure, advertising and promotion.  

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai successfully concluded its annual mission titled ‘Expo Indonesia 2017’ in Mumbai. The three-day exhibition is being organised with the aim to promote Indonesian trade, tourism and investment and promotes opportunities in Indonesian in these sectors. The event saw participation of 47 Indonesian companies who displayed a wide range of Indonesian products. The delegation also included Indonesian travel and tour operators as well as Indonesian airlines who met with the Indian trade to promote Indonesian tourism product. It was attended by Saut Siringoringo, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai, Jaykumar Rawal, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Officials from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, New Delhi, official from the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Indian Trade & Tourism associations, leading Indian business entrepreneurs, travel and tourism industry from India and Indonesian companies investing in India along with the exhibitors.    

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is offering battery-operated vehicle for tourists visiting the Raj Bhavan. Owing to an increase in the number of tourists at the Raj Bhavan, the government is now looking to further develop the tourist attraction. Raj Bhavan is the authorised residence of Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, one of the best-protected landmarks in the city, for public viewing and the gates of the inheritance building are open for public for three days a week. The two-hour trip starts at 6 am and comes with a directed walk through the Bhavan. The battery-operated vehicle will assist in offering an eco-friendly tour of the Raj Bhavan. Eco-sensitive zones will be identified by MTDC in areas including the hill stations, coastlines and spiritual sites, where diesel and petrol vehicles will not be permitted and only battery-operated or e-vehicles will be allowed for zero pollution. The state government is working on developing some cities as cycling hotspots and to encourage environmental friendly tourism. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, said, “We are delighted to offer a battery-operated vehicle to the Raj Bhavan to enhance the tourism and create the wide visibility for this heritage site in Mumbai. Raj Bhavan, the governor’s Malabar Hill home has become the town’s novel tourist hotspot and our aim is to transform Maharashtra as an environment friendly tourist destination. This is a small effort by MTDC to diversify tourism products to cater to the passions of growing travellers.”

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has taken steps to rebrand tourism in Maharashtra with the launch of its new logo “म” for the Visit Maharashtra Campaign. The logo was unveiled by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, in the presence of Jaykumar Jitendrasinh Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra. Fadnavis said, “We are very happy to announce the launch of the new logo “म” Visit Maharashtra to promote the state tourism prospects worldwide. Maharashtra has an incredible potential to become the most preferred destinations for both domestic and international tourists. We are planning to organise ‘Mumbai Mela’ from December 21 to January 8, 2018, to engage with domestic and international tourists. ‘Mumbai Mela’ will offer a huge platform to various segments to explore their offerings to the tourists. I believe, this new logo of Visit Maharashtra Campaign will push Maharashtra on the global map and create Brand Maharashtra as a popular tourist destination.”

Airbnb has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra. Through the partnership, the Department of Tourism and Airbnb will collaborate to boost tourism and create positive travel experiences for both domestic and international visitors in Maharashtra. Under the MoU, the parties agreed to promote tourism in Maharashtra through Airbnb’s global platform, expand the network of quality homestays in Maharashtra, and provide skills development workshops for hosts on hospitality standards, jointly conducted by Airbnb and Department of Tourism within the next six months. Airbnb also announced a first-of-its-kind revenue sharing agreement with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), whereby Airbnb will share a portion of its booking revenue in Maharashtra with the MTDC. The MTDC will support the partnership by identifying high-quality homestays and helping hosts to list on Airbnb. “Tourism is a key pillar for the State of Maharashtra and we are committed to increasing the number of global travellers to the State who could benefit our local communities. In a bid to attract foreign tourists, we have announced 2017 as “Visit Maharashtra” year. As our alternative accommodation partner, we look forward to working with Airbnb to achieve the goals of the Visit Maharashtra campaign, said Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Etihad Airways and strategic partner Jet Airways have signed an agreement with the Government of Maharashtra to promote tourism to the western Indian state. The partnership will enable both airlines to capitalise on their links with Maharashtra and further propel domestic and international arrivals into the state capital Mumbai and beyond. It is the first time an Indian state has signed a tourism collaboration agreement with the airline sector. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presided over the signing of the MoU in Mumbai. It followed months of discussions between the leadership of both airlines and the state government on exploring ways to work together to promote tourism‎. Under the agreement, the three entities will pool marketing resources to participate in travel-trade events in key international markets such as the UK and the UAE; jointly promote ‘Destination Maharashtra’ through advertising campaigns; and organise inbound familiarisation trips for travel agents. Collectively, the two airlines operate five flights a day between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai with domestic connections across the country. In addition, Jet Airways flies daily between Maharashtra’s second largest city of Pune and Abu Dhabi. Commenting on the association, Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, said, “Together, we can create benefits for travellers and shareholders. Our aim is to jointly put in place the best strategies and practices to increase Maharashtra’s marketing footprint and position it as the most preferred destination.” James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Being part of one of the world’s largest economies, Maharashtra has plenty to offer business and leisure travellers. We are therefore delighted to expand our links to promote tourism to this vibrant state, which we have been …