Tag Archives: Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has now introduced mine tourism in Wani in Yavatmal district where tourists will get an opportunity to visit the coal mines in Bhandewada and Ukani to understand the intricacies involved in coal mining. In order to create awareness about the significance of coal mining, MTDC and Western Coalfields have entered into an agreement to promote mine tourism while ensuring the safety of the visitors. The Wani-Yavatmal mine tour includes a visit to Bhandewanda mines along with a workshop in addition to an excursion into the open cast mine in Ukani to view the heavy earth-moving vehicles at the site carrying tons of coal. The trained tour guides will brief and educate travellers about the mining processes. Apart from mine tourism, Yavatmal district is also known for pilgrimage sites which attracts thousands of pilgrims every month. Madan Yerawar, State Tourism Minister, Government of Maharashtra, says, “Mine tourism is a niche segment and we are expanding it further by introducing new site in Wani, Yavatmal to attract tourists from across the globe. The mine locations in Saoner and Gondegaon are already attracting tourist footfalls and we believe that this new site will help in catalysing the growth of tourism in Maharashtra.”

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is conducting a 12-day guide training programme in Nagpur to train the local tourist guides. The inauguration of certified guide training programme was recently conducted at MTDC’s Regional office in Nagpur by Swati Kale, General Manager, MTDC in the presence of Arati Meshram, HOD-Government IHMCT College, Nagpur; Vilas Kale, Chairman-Cenin Travel & VED Council along with IITTM faculty. The aim is to make more than 900 guides available for tourists at various destinations across the state. MTDC has conducted guide training programme at various cities across Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Sindhudurg. Programmes will be conducted in Pune, Nasik, Amravati, Solapur and Kolhapur in the year 2018-19. Madan Yerawar, State Tourism Minister, Government of Maharashtra, “I am delighted to announce that Nagpur and Vidarbha got certified local tourist guides for the first time and they are ready to offer services at various tourist destinations in the state to cater to the needs of tourists. They play a significant role in promoting the destination and thus, act as the representatives of the state and our country.”

In an effort to increase the domestic and foreign tourist influx into Nashik Valley, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has associated itself with Nashik Valley Wine Cluster to promote India Grape Harvest 2018, a wine festival set to be held from February 9-11, 2018. The aim is to recognise the involvement of farmers to harvest grapes of the finest quality and produce the best wine as per the international quality in Nashik. Through this festival, MTDC aims to create awareness around the Nashik Valley as one of the leading tourist destinations to promote wine tourism. The festival will comprise workshops and seminars aimed to promote Make in India campaign to educate the youth and emerging entrepreneurs. Grape-stomping, wine-tasting, food courts, farmers’ market, live kitchen-cooking with wine, round-trip to bird sanctuary, kite flying, cycling and hot air balloon tour will be conducted to attract visitors during the festival. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism & (EGS), Government of Maharashtra, “Nashik is blessed with fertile landscape and enjoys suitable climatic condition which is favourable for good crop produce. This wine festival offers an outstanding platform for the key decision makers to emphasise on the massive opportunities in terms of wine tourism in Maharashtra.”

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.  

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) participated at World Travel Market, London, to showcase the rich diversity of Maharashtra. Maharashtra pavilion at WTM London 2017 was inaugurated by Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, in the presence of Rashmi Verma, Secretary-Tourism, Government of India, and Aashutosh Rathod, Joint Managing Director, MTDC. This year, MTDC promoted wildlife tourism, heritage tourism, fort tourism, heli tourism, medical tourism, city tours, wine tourism, mine tourism, cruise tourism and wellness tourism. Maharashtra is fast emerging as one of the most interesting and productive state for the travel industry both for leisure and business purpose. MTDC is also focusing on associating with hospitality colleges including ICE to develop and build skills and provide internship to students in MTDC’s resorts at various locations in Maharashtra. Rawal say, “It is wonderful to discover the world under one roof and get encouraged by industry leaders and their innovations in the travel sector. This is a brilliant stage to growour businesses and meet the new stakeholders around the world under one roof. Maharashtra has rich tourist destinations to fulfill the needs of tourists across the globe. Participation at WTM London 2017 was our golden opportunity to aggressively market the tourism inventories, vibrant culture, unique destinations and investment opportunities in Maharashtra.”

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 launched special Ganesh Darshan tours for the devotees in Mumbai, Pune and Konkan region to celebrate 125 years of Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav. On this occasion, MTDC is promoting Ganpati mandals, which was started by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Mumbai. Ganesh Darshan tours will not only surge tourism in the state, but also give a chance to foreign and domestic travellers to be a part of the celebrations. The tours will include sighting of the most popular Ganesh pandals in Mumbai, including Lalbaug-cha-Raja, Ganesh Gully, GSB Mandal, Fort-cha-Raja, Fanaswadi Ganesha, Jitekarwadi Ganesha and Bramhansabha Ganesha. The tour will commence from Prabhadevi, from where dedicated 45-seater AC buses will take tourists on this devotional ride. These tours have started from August 26 and will continue till September 5, 2017.