Maharashtra, the third-largest and the second-most populous state in India, is an attractive destination for tourists nationally and internationally. The state’s tourism department is giving a huge policy push for mega infrastructure development projects to fuel tourism sector. In a fireside chat with Vinita Bhatia, Editor of Hotelier India, Dr Dhananjay Sawalkar, Joint MD, Directorate of Tourism, Maharashtra shed light on the state government’s plans to partner with the hoteliers to turn these plans into reality.
“We have an incentive scheme to attract new capital investment in tourism. It has provisions like exemption from stamp duty, refund of state GST and waiver for water and electricity charges,” he said. During the pandemic, INR 70 crore was disbursed under this scheme. “While this is a great opportunity, not many hotel companies have taken benefit of this scheme,” he added.
NATURE’S BOUNTY
The state government’s Tourism Vision policy encompasses sub-categories that leverage its natural resources. “Last year, over 500 units registered under the agro tourism. Moreover,
since the state has 720 km of coastal line, we are endorsing adventure tourism,” Dr Sawalkar added.
Moreover, the Directorate of Tourism has come up with a beach shack policy, taking an inspiration from Goa. Eight beaches have been identified for this initiative, including those in Raigad, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri.
“This policy is already in the final stage of approval. We have identified the land to be acquired and permissions to be granted and are now waiting for the governmental consent, which should come within four to five months,” he revealed.
The state government recently submitted a proposal to UNESCO to include some of the 30 forts in Maharashtra as world heritage destinations. It has also outlined an adventure tourism policy to promote these structures.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED
Religious tourism in Maharashtra has seen a huge uptick in the past couple of years across the country. The plan now is to buffer the overall infrastructure to support this increase in tourist traffic. Recently, INR 100 crore was earmarked for this initiative with the support of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).
The Directorate of Tourism is also giving a massive push for caravan tourism in the state. “We have exempted vehicle tax for caravans and already 10 caravans are operational in Maharashtra. To encourage more players, we are offering subsidies to new entrants,” Dr Sawalkar added.
The agency is also creating caravan parks on Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) land, including Nashik, Kalra and Malshej. MTDC, the commercial wing of the state’s tourism department, has 4000 acres of land. The government has come up with a PPP model to encourage the participation and collaboration of industry stakeholders to build properties in these lands.
Dr Sawalkar said the response has been heartening and five properties have come up already in areas including Mahabaleshwar, Matheran and Ajanta. “In the second phase, we want to establish 30 properties and want hoteliers to come forth to make Maharashtra the go-to travel destination in the country, and the world,” he added.
