Posted on 24th January 2012

The MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) has been asked by the state government to make a comprehensive report about all the tourist destinations of all the districts across the state. The report should also include the facilities and infrastructure available in these places.

This was done in response to a report made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in which the authorities were criticised for not having a system for collecting the tourist data. The decision of the government regarding the allocation of funds to develop the tourist destinations will be based on this report.

Jagdish Patil, who was appointed as the managing director of the MTDC very recently, said that “The state government has appointed 10 private firms, which would make suggestions for infrastructure development at the tourist destinations. A private firm is appointed to undertake detailed study of intra-state, interstate and foreign tourists, revenue generation at the destination and potential to increase business. The in depth analysis will help policymakers to come up with possible solutions to improve matters with help from the expert panel comprising 10 firms.”

Patil said that the MTDC has also asked the expert panel that before it prepares its report and submits it, it should keep in mind the geography and climate of a particular area. This report would be ready by the end of this financial year that is by March.

He added that a couple of private firms are interested in acquiring sited for adventure tourism. The government has given a nod to these firms to look for suitable sites for this project and make plans accordingly. This decision was taken in a conference held in Mahabaleshwar; it was attended by the additional collectors who came from across the state.

The government has given authority to the local advisory committees to choose and suggest the places that are eligible to be developed as class B and class C tourist places, in various districts. Apart from the expenditure of 4.5% of the expenditure, each district will be eligible to receive Rs 5 lakh for the development of tourism.

According to report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General, about 13.71 crore foreign tourists visited the country and only 7.8 percent of these tourists visited the state. However, this figure was more than that of previous year.