Separate Tourism Corporation For Konkan

The proposed Konkan Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) will act as a subsidiary body of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), with the latter's joint managing Director acting as the head of the new corporation.

To explore untapped tourism potential on the coastline and ensure holistic development of the necessary infrastructure, the state government is working on the formation of a separate tourism corporation for the Konkan region.

The proposed Konkan Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) will act as a subsidiary body of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), with the latter's joint managing Director acting as the head of the new corporation. The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) officials said it will act as an equity or joint venture partner. The top MTDC officials, however, denied that KTDC was a joint collaboration between MTDC and MMB.

"Maharashtra is a large state and MTDC is tasked with a wide range of duties as the tourism promoting body. Konkan, which itself covers a vast stretch, has tremendous tourism potential. Therefore, a need was felt to create a separate body to concentrate solely on Konkan," said state principal secretary (Tourism and Culture), Valsa Nair Singh.

Meanwhile, MMB chief executive officer (CEO) Atul Patne noted that the move will help harness the untapped, unexplored tourism potential on the coast. "MMB handles water transport, creeks and inland waterways. Water sports, an important part of tourism, is also with us," he added, stressing on the need for the board's involvement in the venture. He said that while MMB could look at developing the seafront, MTDC could handle the rest.

Maharashtra has a 720km coast, including 114km in Mumbai city and the suburbs, 127km in Thane and Palghar, 122km in Raigad, 237km in Ratnagiri and 120km in Sindhudurg. The, presence of multiple agencies operating on their own, however, has ensured that a larger, holistic sense of ownership remains missing.

"Unlike other states such as Andhra Pradesh, where the Vishakhapatnam port was developed, Maharashtra has few such sites with that kind of draft," said Patne, adding that considering the low height of waves, the seafront on the western coast could be used for tourism.

Commenting on the development, aviation and tourism consultancy group Global Tourism Council's president Iqbal Mulla said, "It's a very positive step on part of the state government. The Konkan belt has some of the best beaches and geographical topography in the country. Such separate focus on it was needed."

INDIA: MTDC Launches 'safe selfie' Campaign

A girl takes a selfie at Bandra Bandstand. Recently, a 17-year-old college girl was swept away by waves near the same spot, while taking a selfie

With the selfie culture increasingly turning into a part of our daily lives, the risk to life it poses, especially at vulnerable and unsafe spots, has forced the state tourism department to launch a social mass awareness programme.

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), which is tasked with promoting tourism in the state, has begun a process of mass awareness regarding selfies near beaches, forts and deep valley cliffs in the state.

Further, the MTDC has also requested the collectors in the state to shortlist dangerous tourist spots, display warning notices involving risk of taking selfies, and distinguish safe areas from where tourists can get better angles without any risk. The awareness drive will also be launched on social media platforms, the officials said.

Some of the one-liners that are already gaining traction on the social media are "My selfie is a safe selfie", "Let this selfie not be your last selfie", "A safe selfie is worth more than a selfie visited".

The safe selfie campaign stemmed from the death of a 17-year-old college girl, who was swept away by waves of Arabian sea in Bandra while taking a selfie with a couple of her friends. A local man who attempted to save her also drowned. Two of the girl's friends, however, were saved. In another similar instance a few months ago, a group of youngsters had an almost near-death experience while trying to take a selfie on a high cliff in the picturesque Sahyadri mountains.

"Adhering to the state government's order and in an effort to ensure complete safety and security for tourists in Maharashtra, the MTDC has begun a process of spreading mass awareness to educate tourists on possible selfie dangers. We are also spreading awareness through our active social media handles, such as Facebook, Twitter and MTDC website, to reach out to our audience. We aim to caution the visitors about the dangers of a careless selfie. We are relentlessly taking steps to ensure the welfare of our tourists through our various awareness activities," said MTDC MD Paraag Jaiin Nainuttia.

INDIA: Maha Govt Signs MoU With Pawan Hans To Boost Tourism

In a bid to give an impetus to tourism in the state, Maharashtra government has signed an MoU with private helicopter service company Pawan Hans.

"We have signed an MoU with Pawan Hans to boost tourism in Maharashtra. Along with locals, foreign tourists are especially found to be more inclined towards chopper services for touring the state," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

He said the MoU between Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and Pawan Hans was signed on December 30, 2015.

Fadnavis further said that helicopter services will now be available for tourists looking to visit Elephanta Island, Ajanta and Ellora caves, Ganpatipule (a small town located in Ratnagiri district on the Konkan coast), Tarkarli (a tourist spot in Sindhudurg district) and Aamby Valley.

"With the commencement of these services, tourists will now be able to take chopper rides to their destinations at a cheap rate. They can now enjoy aerial and ground views of their destinations without burning a hole in their pockets," Fadnavis said.