Mumbai has everything from a Bollywood theme park and 150-year-old houses in Khotachiwadi in Girgaum to Kala Ghoda festival and IPL matches at Wankhede Stadium, and this is how the Maharashtra government plans to attract tourists to India’s financial capital.
Taking cues from New York, Sydney, Boston, and Chicago, which have been developed into tourism destinations, Maharashtra is finalizing a first-ever comprehensive tourism development plan for attracting domestic and foreign travellers to Mumbai. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 676 crore.
The city aims to develop an R-urban village, providing the experience of rural Maharashtra in urban Gorai, a flamingo and mangroves museum at Sewri, and a Mumbai Haat.
The state plans to offer five circuits or tour packages that club sites with similar themes together. The packages have been divided into religious sites, museums and art galleries, popular markets, waterfronts and gardens, as well as old iconic residential areas like Khotachiwadi, and Parsi Colony.
It also aims to boost cultural events such as Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, Bandra Fair, Mumbai Marathon, Mumbai International Film Festival, IPL matches, Kala Ghoda Festival and Elephanta Festival.
VK Gautam, the principal secretary and managing director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), said that they want the plan to be executed as soon as possible. For the existing tourist sites, it will lead to creation of better infrastructure, such as better parking facility, more ATMs, food stalls, toilets, drinking water kiosks, 24×7 tourist helpline, smartphone applications, websites and tourist information centres.
The state also plans to cover Mumbai’s natural and cultural heritage such as waterfronts and beaches, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Kanheri caves, Aarey Milk Colony, Elephanta Caves and heritage structures.
