2 February
2017
PUNE: Senior
tourism ministry officials hinted that either Maharashtra or Goa may be chosen
as a special tourism zone in western India. This was in reaction to finance
minister Arun Jaitley's announcement in the Union Budget that the
government planned to set up five special tourism zones in the country in the
next financial year.
Officials said that only one state from the west may be chosen
for the zone in the western part of the country.Senior officials in the state
department of tourism are also planning to pitch Maharashtra to the ministry.
A senior ministry official told pune-news.com that Maharashtra's chances
as a contender for the zone in the west seem bright. "Though the creation
of the five special tourism zones is still in its nascent stages, the chosen
state should have regional representation and be the strongest possible
contender in tourism in the region. A major tourism destination in the western
part of the country will be chosen, depending on its popularity among tourists,
availability of land and other factors," the official said.
The western part of India has a competitive landscape with
four states — Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan and Gujarat — doubling up as major
tourism hotspots.Maharashtra tourism department officials told pune-news.com that past
recommendations made to the ministry include how Maharashtra should be treated
at par with Goa and should have similar policies on shacks on beaches and
coastal regulation norms relaxation.
State director of tourism Satish Soni said, "Maharashtra
is one of the few regions in the world which offers multiple types of tourist
destinations. It has a long coastline of 720km along the lush green Konkan
region. The Western Ghats and the Sahyadri mountain range offer hill stations
and water reservoirs with semi-evergreen and deciduous forests. The Vidarbha
region with its dense forests is home to several wildlife sanctuaries and
nature parks."Soni said that apart from this, the state has five tiger
reserves, Bollywood as well as five world heritage sites like Ajanta-Ellora
caves, elephant caves, Kaas Plateau and the iconic Lonar crater made of
basaltic rock. "For this reason, the state tourism department will pitch
Maharashtra as the apt contender to the ministry," Soni said.
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