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Mumbai, 08 August, 2014
There needs to be a political will and a burning desire to develop tourism in any region, and Gujarat, having recognised its potential has initiated a unique model of public private partnership to further strength tourism growth in the region and offer better facilities to the tourists.
Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) will be facilitating private tour operators from across the country, wherein they can now register themselves with Gujarat Tourism as certified operators. Further to this, TCGL will also be offering facility of online booking of private hotels that will be registered with it.
The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL), has successfully attracted an increasing number of tourists, both domestic and foreign to the state of Gujarat. The gross tourist flow during the year 2013-14 was 287.88 lakh which is 13.30% higher than the flow in 2012-13.
Domestic tourism over the years has been outpacing the international tourism growth in India and Gujarat also strongly believes that if domestic tourism grows then international tourism will automatically flow in. Maharashtra continues to be the top state in India, from where Gujarat gets the maximum tourists (37%) share and 22.47 lakh numbers in the last financial year, 2012-13.
Addressing the media in Mumbai, Shri Kamlesh Patel, Chairman, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd. said, “We will continue to aggressively market Gujarat as a tourist destination in India as well as abroad. To further strengthen our efforts in this direction we have introduced a public private partnership model whereby various tour operators both from within and outside of Gujarat can register with TCGL through its website. Not only this, but the private operators can also now showcase their own packages on Gujarat Tourism website which will be offered to the tourists looking at visiting Gujarat.”
He further added, that apart from TCGL’s resorts, tourists will also have the option of booking private hotels at any destination across the state, through its website.
Gujarat is filled with a variety of destinations which would cater to all types of tourists: beaches & coastal sites, forests & natural ecosystems, gardens & lakes, heritage monuments & structures, archaeological & architectures, museums & learning spaces, religious sites, Gandhi Circuit and Buddhist sites.
Shri Sanjay Kaul, IAS, Managing Director, TCGL, mentioned that “Private Tour operators from across the country can now register themselves with Gujarat Tourism as certified operators for Gujarat. This will help us to reach out to more number of potential tourists and also help the operators in availing timely information and facilities from TCGL.” Mr. Kaul also added, “Another unique initiative from TCGL is the launch of Industrial tours for students with an aim to showcase the industrial growth of Gujarat. To begin with, these will be conducted at – Amul Dairy at Anand, Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation at Vadodara, General Motors at Halol and the Solar Park at Patan. Students will be given a guided tour and insight into these plants and their functioning.”
Prominent tour operators and hoteliers from Gir, Dwarka, Kutch, Junagadh, Saputara etc. were present at the Travel Meet organized by Gujarat Tourism at a prominent hotel in the City.
Gujarat Tourism has come to the city to showcase its forthcoming events to the tourism stakeholders of the State and talk about their public private partnership model.
Monsoon Festival: Beginning on 16th August to 13th September, 2014, Monsoon Festival is going to be a month long event at Saputara, the emerging Hill Station of Gujarat at the beginning of the Sahyadri Hills. Saputara attracts a number of tourists from different parts of the country. If the visitor moves out a little, there are three major water falls (Gira, Mayadevi and Girmal Falls), close to Saputara.
Tarnetar Fair: Held during 29th to 31st August this year, Tarnetar Fair is a celebration of ethnic Gujarat’s folk-dance, music, costumes and the arts, centred around young tribal men and women seeking marriage partners. Being the most important fair of Saurashtra region, Tarnetar is attended by more than 50,000 people.
Navratri Festival: The world’s longest dancing festival, Navratri Festival is a 9 nights’ non-stop celebration of dance, music and devotion. Thousands gather at the temples for prayer and aarti, and as evening approaches garba and raas break out in temple courtyards, environs and nearby villages. This year’s celebrations are from 25th September to 03rd October 2014 Each night, all over the state, villages and cities alike, people gather in open spaces to celebrate feminine divinity, referred to as Shakti.
The Rann Utsav: The arid land of Kutch blossoms into a magical world during the Rann Utsav. The specially set up tents give an unusual experience of staying in the wilderness while enjoying the cosy comforts of a star hotel. It is a unique experience to see the saline desert shimmering in the full moon night of Sharad Poornima. Tourists can enjoy kite flying, hot-air ballooning, embroidery and handicrafts making workshops during their stay. Kutch is getting ready to celebrate Rann Utsav during 01st December 2014 to 18th March 2015.
The International Kite Festival: The International Kite Festival celebrated on 14th of January 2015, the Makar Sankranti day, is one of the most colourful events in Gujarat. The sky around cities like Ahmedabad is filled with the colourful kites all around. Kite flying clubs and kite enthusiasts from all over the world take active part in this international festival with their designer, decorated, stunt and so many other varieties of kites.
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