Newstrack

MTDC to develop Vidharbha region as eco-tourism circuit

Chetan Kapoor - Mumbai

With a number of states jumping on the eco-tourism bandwagon, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is looking to do the same. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Abhay Yawalkar, director of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra and joint managing director of MTDC, says, "We are looking to develop the Vidharbha region as an eco-tourism circuit in the near future. However, such initiatives take time, money and approvals which make it difficult to give a set deadline of when we will go ahead with it."

The corporation is also focusing heavily on selling festivals across the state and is on a high after the recently concluded Govinda festival in Thane and the Ganesh festival in Pune. The upcoming festivals include Dussera in Kolhapur, Ellora-Aurangabad festival in Aurangabad, and the Banganga and the Elephanta festival in Mumbai. Yawalkar also informed that MTDC will focus on selling the Deccan Odyssey and coastal tourism at the World Travel Mart to be held in London from November 12-15 this year.

As per the 12th Finance Commission, MTDC is to receive Rs 62.50 crore every year, specifically for the development of coastal and eco-tourism. Since 2006, the corporation has been developing adventure sports activities like scuba-diving and snorkelling at Tarkarli. In fact, it is in the process of setting up a scuba-diving training centre and has already introduced houseboat cruising here on the same lines as backwater cruising in Kerala.