STEENA JOY – Thane
Konkan, a coastal region in Maharashtra, spread across four districts – Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg – is attracting the attention of tourists both, inbound and outbound. To spearhead tourism in the region, Kokan Bhumi Prastishthan (KBP) and the Maharashtra government launched the ‘Global Kokan’ initiative in 2011 to provide a global perspective on the nature, tourist spots, industries, artists, culture and the folk arts of Konkan. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Sanjay Yadavrao, president KBP and executive president, Global Kokan informed, “The third edition of Global Kokan will be held from January 4 to 7, 2013 in Mumbai which is expected to draw around five lakh visitors.”
Calling upon all hoteliers and tour operators in the region to adopt the Credible Kokan slogan and Responsible Tourism practices like saying no to plastic, Yadavrao added, “Global Kokan 2013 will be historic for us in many ways. At the event we will be launching a one stop online portal with a 24-hour helpline. Hoteliers in the region can register on the portal so that tourists can find all their needs at one spot. We will also be launching the first coffee table book on Konkan tourism which will cover all tourist destinations in the region, from Dahanu to Vengurla, from Jawahar to Amboli. There will also be Maharashtra’s first Fish Aquarium and Fish Festival where we will showcase all the varieties of marine life and sea fish like bangda, bombil, surmai, etc, which are endemic to the 72 km coastline of the region.”
As precursor to the event, in December, the Global Kokan Motorcycle and Car Rally is being organised covering 2,000 kms and a Village Tourism Festival will be held where visitors can stay in villages and experience village trekking, cultural fests, local cuisine, beach sports and fishing.
“We want to put Konkan on the world map. And we can do this only by upgrading our facilities and bringing in standardisation and professionalism,” Yadavrao opined.
