Mohit Rathod – Mumbai
The Government of Maharashtra, along with the state tourism organisation Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), has been proactively engaged in boosting tourism in the state. Strengthening efforts in that direction, Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra recently announced the launch of special Mumbai Darshan Tours. The initiative is undertaken by MTDC in co-ordination with Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). BEST has lent its air-conditioned buses for the tours. Speaking to Express TravelWorld about the tour package, Jaykumar Rawal, tourism minister, Government of Maharashtra, commented, “Many people visit Mumbai, but they don’t know how to explore the city. Mumbai has been an iconic city, so we want to showcase it to visitors – its architecture, industries, business houses, Bollywood, etc.”
The tour will cover key tourist attractions in the city such as Bhaudaji Lad museum, Siddhivinayak Temple, Bandra Band Stand, Nehru Science Centre, Mani Bhavan, Taraporewala Aquarium, Haji Ali Dargah, Gateway of India and more. Discussions are in progress on the inclusion of forts in the itinerary; there are also plans to tie up with OTAs, in order to have a wider reach. Satish Soni, joint managing director, MTDC, added, “We have taken various factors into consideration while launching this tour package, and we are open to suggestions. Our primary objective behind this initiative is to create an awareness and promote tourism in Mumbai.”
In a similar development, capitalising on the Ganesh festival in Mumbai, MTDC has also introduced Ganesh Darshan Tours, which will cover six of the most popular Ganesh pandals in the city.
Rawal, who has been recently appointed for this role, has plans for more initiatives to boost tourism in Maharashtra. He indicated that sightseeing tours such as sea tours and heli tours are in the pipeline. The state government has also signed several MoUs in the tourism sector. Rawal added, “For years together, I have been a tourist and I have travelled the world, so I have taken this new role in tourism, which is a big economic stimulator and employment generator. I am going to try to work on every aspect of tourism in Maharashtra, and make sure that tourism in the state develops a lot.”
Recently, the state tourism department signed an MoU with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), ministry of culture, Government of India to have an understanding for execution of various projects for development and of tourist facilities and amenities in and around centrally protected sites in Maharashtra. This is the first MoU that ASI has signed with any tourism body in India. Prior to that, Rawal had also proposed a Japanese village near Ajanta-Ellora, during his meeting with a delegation from Wakayama Prefectural Government, Japan.
