In a major boost to tourism in Maharashtra, especially the Konkan region known for pristine beaches and the Western Ghats, a new airport has been inaugurated in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
With new hotels and an airport, the Konkan region is expected to a see a jump in tourist arrivals as the connectivity is improved. Speaking at the event, Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray said, "Since the time the Maha-Vikas Aghadi government has come to power in Maharashtra, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Revenue Minister and my colleague Aditi (Tatkare) have always focused on improving things in the Konkan region and get more tourists here. When we discussed what we needed to do to get tourists here, we focused on setting up five-star hotels here. Some proposals for hotels were pending since 20 years and in the next two years these new hotels will be ready."
"With more MTDC properties, submarine tourism and the new beach shack policy we hope to draw the biggest number of tourists and that we have been aggressive in this for Maharashtra," he added. "I want to promise the people of Konkan that while we plan to draw tourists to the region we want to ensure that we also protect the environment and our focus will be to ensure that happens," Mr Thackeray said.
Top ministers of the Maharashtra government attended the inauguration ceremony including Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Industries Minister Subhash Desai and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the event through video-conferencing from New Delhi and spoke to the gathering in Marathi. Union Minister Narayan Rane was also present at the event.
Replying to a tweet by Mr Scindia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Today is a special day for the wonderful people of the Konkan region and will surely give an impetus to connectivity and tourism."
The Chipi Airport will see regular commercial flights from Mumbai as the first flight from Sindhudurg to Mumbai was conducted under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, being operated by Alliance Air landing at the airport on Saturday. Additional connectivity with other cities like Delhi, Pune, Kolkata and Hyderabad is also in the pipeline with other airlines.
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), which runs the Taj Group of Hotels, has announced the signing of a luxury hotel in Shiroda, located 50 km from the new airport. The land has been leased from the Maharashtra government. The luxury resort spread over 138 acres will have 150 rooms including 46 villas. It will have multiple restaurants, a bar and conference facilities. This development will create and enhance employment opportunities whilst contributing to tourism revenues to the state of Maharashtra."
The Konkan region, noted for its pristine beaches and temples, has struggled with poor connectivity, which was one of the biggest drawbacks for the region. With the new airport and plans to convert it into an international airport, Sindhudurg is expected to see a multi-fold increase in the number of tourists visiting the region.
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