On the occasion of 10th World Agri Tourism Day, Maharashtra Tourism is organising a seminar on May 16, 2017 at YB Chavan Auditorium with an aim to increase employment and investment opportunities in Agro Tourism sector. Jaykumar Rawal, minister of tourism, Government of Maharashtra in the presence of Pandurang Fundkar, minister of agriculture & horticulture, Government of Maharashtra; Madan Yerawar, state tourism minister, Government of Maharashtra and other prominent dignitaries of the state will inaugurate the conference.
Maharashtra is a pioneer state to endorse agri and rural tourism in India. Agri tourism is one of the fastest developing segments of the travel sector, and this comprises of visits to working farms, ranches, wineries and other agricultural industries. Agri-destinations provide a wide variety of entertainment, education, relaxation, outdoor adventures, shopping and dining experiences. Farmers and ranch owners invite the enthusiasts onto their property to educate them about health and nutritive benefits about the organically grown products.
In order to change the current trends; Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation offers scheme of Mahabhraman to carry these projects under one roof. There are 77 Mahabhraman units registered with MTDC. The main aim of this scheme is to inspire people from various segments to offer an exclusive experience to the tourists and to provide sustainable livelihoods to families of farmers in villages.
Commenting on the occasion, Jaykumar Rawal stated, “We are pleased to organise this conference as our aim is nurture agri tourism in order to create awareness among the tourists about the working culture of agriculture farms and provide rural experience to city commuters. Tourism sector has a huge potential to widen the scope of agriculture sector. We believe this initiative will not only increase tourism footfall but will also generate employment and investment opportunities for better sustainability of the farmers.”