Daman and Diu work on infrastructural issues to attract more tourists

Anupama Sushil - New Delhi

The islands of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are now looking at increasing their presence on the tourism map of the country. Situated in the western-most part of the country, the islands are unexplored territory with virgin beaches and white shores. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Neeraj Saimwal, collector, Union Territory Administration of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli said that infrastructural facilities are improving on a daily basis, and they are making constant efforts to promote the islands to tourists.

Speaking about infrastructure, Saimwal said that Diu already has two three-star hotels and one Category-A hotel. However with the increasing tourist numbers, the union territory (UT) government is considering building a five-star hotel, a golf course near the sea and an amusement park under a government-led industrial developmental corporation. Commenting on the connectivity issues to the area, the collector said that there is one existing airport in the UT at Diu, but currently only Jet Airways flies into the area with six flights a week, with an ATR service. "However, the rates are high and now we are looking at bringing in other major airline players also to fly into Diu. This would bring in better competitive rates for the tourists, their choice of airlines and more options in terms of flight schedules," he explained. As the tourist numbers are increasing, the UT government has also proposed to expand the existing 1,800 metre runway to about 2,100 metre in order to facilitate larger aircrafts like A320s to fly in. "This has been proposed keeping in mind the fact that tourists consider air travel as a better mode of transport," said Saimwal.

Furthermore, the road connectivity to the area is not very convenient. However, he added that they have requested the ministry of railways to extend the broad gauge up to Dilwara which is about 10kms from Diu. According to Saimwal, "At the current stage, while increasing the publicity of the UT, if Diu and Gujarat can be promoted together it would prove more beneficial, and one possible circuit could be the Somnath, Gir National Park and Diu circuit that could be worked upon."