
Maharashtra will become No. 1 in tourism in next five years: CM Fadnavis at Mahabaleshwar event
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Kolhapur: Sunday marked the last day of the three-day
Maharashtra tourism
festival in Mahabaleshwar.
At the festival's concluding ceremony, chief minister
Devendra Fadnavis
said, "An annual tourism calendar or schedule should be prepared by the tourism department. Colourful festivals held in different parts of the state throughout the year should be included in this schedule. Along with this, a workshop should be conducted for tour operators from the country to enlighten them about the tourism facilities here."
Organised by the
Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation
at Mahabaleshwar, on the last day of the festival, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chairman of Legislative Council Prof Ram Shinde, tourism minister Shambhuraj Desai, industries minister Uday Samant, public works minister Shivendrasinh Bhosale, rural development and panchayat raj minister Jayakumar Gore and relief and rehabilitation minister Makarand Jadhav were also present beside CM Devendra Fadnavis.
The CM said, "For the growth of tourism, it is necessary to develop civic facilities and tourism culture. The cooperation of locals is important for tourists to have a pleasant experience. When there is a big investment in the industrial sector, employment is generated, but in tourism sector, more employment is generated with less investment. This business has the potential of large-scale employment."
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He also spoke about Maharashtra's potential to rise from fifth to the first position in tourism in the country. "Nature has given Maharashtra the beautiful Western Ghats, 720km of coastline and we have many beautiful holy places of pilgrimage. We want to carry this beauty abroad on an international level and this festival is important for that. The task of making the state number one in the field of tourism will be done in the next five years," added Fadnavis.
Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said, "Mahabaleshwar is rich in nature and heritage, and there is unlimited potential for tourism here. Water tourism is also getting a good response at Munawale. State govt has worked to promote the fort conservation and people-oriented schemes. Efforts are also being made for tourism development. There is a village of books at Bhilar, a village of honey at Manghar. It has the best strawberry production, the beauty of Venna Lake and diverse colours of folk culture. The task of bringing all these in one place has been done through the Maharashtra Tourism Festival (Mahaparyatan Utsav)."
On Sunday various cultural programs by renowned artists, forts and vintage ammunition exhibitions, food festivals, adventure sports activities, children's workshops, helicopter rides, drone shows, food stalls, flea markets, visits to temples and other tourist spots, photography workshops, floating markets at Venna Lake, laser shows, yoga sessions and lectures regarding opportunities in water tourism, biodynamic farming, the Tourism Policy of Maharashtra and boat exhibitions drew lare number of visitors.
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