Gujarat has its 1600 km coastline for development of tourism. It is therefore felt strongly that projects and themes that use the coastal resources of the State should be promoted and developed. Coastal Tourism is understood to be all tourism activities that involve direct or indirect interactions or draw sustenance from geographies, activities, communities, cultures and socio-economic elements primarily or largely dependant on the sea or the sea coast for their existence. This can be delineated as follows
Exhibit: Coastal Tourism Concepts: Resource, activity and infrastructure mapping
| Basic Resource | Activities | Supporting Infrastructure |
| Safe Clean Beach |
Swimming sunbathing, beach leisure, beach games, beach events |
Beach hotels, retail shops supporting beach activities, beach event organisers, beach regulation, security |
| Tranquil waters with low sloping continental slope safe for swimming |
Swimming, boating and water Sports, snorkelling and diving |
Boating and water sports service providers, boating and sports clubs, life guards, security, beach resorts |
| Marine resources, wet lands, corals |
Leisure fishing/ marine parks |
Leisure fishing service providers, fishing piers, environmental monitoring mechanisms |
| Coastal cultures/heritage spread over an area |
Local tours, heritage experiences, short and long cruises |
Cruise terminals, heritage spot renovations, enabling and supporting regulations service, providers for liners/launches and tours, pilot transport on sea, land transfer transport |
Source: CRISIL analysis
An indicative project which could be developed to harness coastal tourism potential is mentioned below.
Location: The Pirotan Island is located in the Arabian Sea in the Marine National Park of the Jamnagar district. It is around 22 kms off the coast, i.e., Bedi Port and has an area of three sq. km. This island is the most famous among the 42 islands of the park
The Concept: Blue Flag is probably the most creditable beach certification programs in the world which lays down stringent standards and conditions. The program is run by the Denmark-based FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education). The Blue Flagged beach at the island could therefore be developed so as to ensure strict adherence to the highest standards of safety, water purity, cleanliness, environmental education and management and tourist facilities on the beach. The Blue Flagged Beach in Pirotan Island could well be the first of its kind in India. The recognition will come as result of compliance of 29 criteria set by the FEE covering various aspects of the beach.
Rationale: The beach has an abundance of marine resources such as a variety of birds and corals and the area has thus far not been fully exploited for viewing and experiencing these resources. Also, the area lacks facilities even for drinking water. The wild life in the area could also be tapped to provide an educative experience for visitors as also for leisure opportunities for all.
Implementation: A non-profit, non-governmental, independent organization (NGO) in India could be identified. This organisation would have environmental education and protection as its key objectives and would also enrol for membership with the FEE. In order to implement the Blue Flag Program in India, the FEE member organization must adhere to the following four steps in the implementation process.
- Organize a Blue Flag workshop/ meeting
- Establish a Blue Flag National Committee
- Carry out the Blue Flag feasibility phase
- Run the Blue Flag Pilot phase
Gujarat could take a lead in establishing such a blue flag organization and gradually have all its beaches certified in a similar manner.
The overall administration and management of Pirotan as a pilot blue flagged beach can be handed over to this NGO. The NGO in turn should be allowed to set up non-permanent structures at the island for development in keeping with Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules and in the interest of preserving the natural environment. To that effect, a beach management committee could be established as in-charge of the environmental management systems and for regular environmental audits of the beach facility. Potable water, rest rooms, change rooms, cafeterias, tourist information kiosks and other such basic amenities could be set up for the convenience of tourists. An adequate number of lifeguards and life saving equipments for the safety of the tourists are a must for the envisaged development. Other hygiene, safety and security measures such as supply of treated water, management of sewerage and provision of first-aid would form essential components of the larger development plan. Activities that can be developed on the island include Scuba diving facilities to observe the marine life, water sports like boating, paragliding, motor biking and banana rides, spas etc.
Investment Potential: Approximately Rs. 10 crore including tents, cottages made up of local material etc.
Location: The ruins of Lothal, a flourishing and prosperous port city of the Indus Valley Civilization, are situated about 85 kms away form Ahmedabad city. It has a massive dockyard which at one time facilitated trade with other civilizations.
The Concept: As Lothal was a famous port of ancient times, a Maritime Museum could be established. This could display objects related to shipping, fishing, trade and travel. Small ships and fragments reminiscent of stories of this ancient port could be unique attractions at the museum.
Rationale: The major attraction of Lothal city is rooted in the archaeological excavations of the area and its large dockyard. The first tidal dock of the world was built at Lothal during the Harrapan times giving this place its historical significance. The Lothal Maritime Museum would also be a good source to highlight the maritime strengths of Gujarat from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization.
Components:
- Display of objects relating to ships and travel on ship models, cutlery, anchors uniforms, hulls etc. A section of the museum could also house the items relating to the Indian Navy representing defence-related material for public education
- Audio-visual presentations on the history of Lothal’s maritime trade tracking the economic prosperity of the region
- Display of Lothal culture, ancient artefacts, life-size statues and paintings on canvas and highlights Lothal's trade links with Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia
- Sale of memorabilia and souvenirs in shops that generate revenues for the museum
Investment Potential: Approximately Rs 10 crore including visitor reception area and restaurant.
Beach development at Ahmedpur - Mandvi
Ahmedpur Mandvi is the finest beach in Gujarat. It is a white sand blue water beach, and an ideal place for walking, swimming and water sports.
Location: It is situated in Junagadh district very near to union territory of Diu just 20 kms. from Diu.
Nature of project: Beach development project with development of support/enabling infrastructure like water sports, beach restaurants, oceanarium/sea park, aquarium etc.
Components:
- Water Sports: Water sports such as surfing, water scooter ride, boating, para sailing and beach vollyball.
- Sea park/Oceanarium: Sea park would have attractions like dolphin show, state of the art aquarium, I-Max theatre etc. in addition to this, stalls and shops for marine products, handicrafts, stone ornaments would to attract visitors for shopping.
- Beach restaurants: Restaurants built with locally available material spread across the beach with a seating capacity of 100 or more.
- Beach Resorts: Beach resorts can be developed as per the CRZ regulations. These resorts would have facilities of swimming pool, health spa, rooms with sea-facing balconies, availabilities of sea food etc.
- Support/enabling infrastructure required would include:
- Construction of approach road from main road to site, signage, street light, public toilet stalls
- Construction of entrance plaza, view points, rest huts with local materials
- Water bathing cubical, drinking water points
- Construction of Tourist Interpretation and Reception Centre.
- Bird watching facilities
- Fish farm
- Rescue and medical facilities
Nargol beach development
Nargol beach is an unexplored, clean, sandy beach free of rocks and an ideal place for beach tourism and water sports activities.
Location: It is situated in South Gujarat in Valsad district near the union territory of Daman.
Nature of project: Development of beach tourism through development of leisure and recreational facilities such as water sports, beach resorts, hotels etc.
Components:
- Water sports: water sports will include surfing, water bike riding, parasailing etc. This could also include competition-based beach games.
- Beach resorts and hotels: These would include luxurious hotels and beach resorts with sea views and other facilities.
- Beach restaurants: Beach restaurants offering large varieties of foods at suitable locations on the beaches at Nargol.
- Support infrastructure required would include:
- Construction of approach road from main road to site, signage, street light, public toilet stalls
- Construction of entrance plaza, view points, rest huts with local materials
- Water bathing cubical, drinking water points
- Construction of Tourist Interpretation and Reception Centre
- Rescue and medical facilities
There are several other locations where beach tourism can be developed. Notable among them are Shivrajpur near Okha, Gopnath beach, Madvi beach etc. Of these, Mandvi is a key project for coastal tourism development in Gujarat and has been described in detail in the Key Project section.
Religious tourism is the largest tourist sector in India. According to Cox and Kings, the largest tour operator in the country, 20% of the revenue in tourism industry is generated by religious tourism and more than 70% of the domestic tourist movement is for the religious purposes. In most such destinations, tourism is the main source of income for the local people.
The key needs in religious places include infrastructure facilities, such as better roads and connectivity, water supply and drainage, good restaurants and hotels, good Dharamshalas (local inns), public transportation and medical facilities. These are vital for development of religious tourism in the country as well as in Gujarat.
Gujarat has presence of important pilgrimage destinations like Ambaji, Dakore, Dwarka and Somnath. These destinations draw lakhs of devotees every year, far outnumbering any other mode of tourism. However, there is still vast scope for improvements in these locations in terms of hotel rooms, food, water, town cleanliness etc. For instance, Dwarka, Ambaji and Dakore have limited staying facilities. Most of these towns face challenges in terms of huge pressure in their town level infrastructure such as water, solid waste management, roads, streetlights, drainage, healthcare and general hygiene.
The project development concepts for three key religious tourism destinations are presented below. Similar developments are possible in Dakore, Modhera, Bahucharji etc.
Ambaji is one of the 64 “Shaktipeeths” of India and is therefore an important pilgrimage centre. It is in proximity to other tourist places of Gujarat like Idar, Shamlaji, Vijaynagar-Polo and Mount Abu in Rajasthan. Lakhs of pilgrims visit the place through out the year. The number of visitors increases manifold during festivals especially on Bhadravi Poonam.
Location: Ambaji is situated in Banaskantha district near Gujarat – Rajsthan border, 60 kms. from Palanpur.
Nature of Project: Present town infrastructure is inadequate to support a large influx of people during festivals. Thus the development needs to be two pronged in terms of improvement in infrastructure facilities, and environment on the one hand (publicly supported) and tourist facilities including supporting amenities (private sector driven) on the other.
Components:
- Renovation of Temple and Creation of Temple library
- Urban Design / Renewal of Temple Area
- Good quality budget and deluxe hotels, and accommodation resorts
- Good quality restaurants
- Better quality of potable water and water supply, drainage facility
- Medical facilities
- Recreational facilities: Gardens with landscaping, Amusement Park for children
- Wayside amenities
- Visitor information centre
Investment Potential:
Estimated cost of the all components is around Rs. 400 crore
| Heritage Renovation and Renewal : |
Rs. 10 crore |
| Hotels and Resorts : |
Rs. 250 crore |
| Recreation Facilities : |
Rs.100 crore |
| Supporting Infrastructure at city level : |
Rs. 40 crore |
Dwarka is one of the most popular pilgrimage places of India. The main Dwarkadhish temple, surrounded by 16 other temples, is the main attraction for pilgrims. Other major attractions near Dwarka are the Nageshwar temple, Gopi Talav, Rukmani temple and Shardapith. Thousands of devotees gather during Janmashtami at Dwarka. Large numbers of devotees also visit the place on Holi, Gangasagar mela and Durga Puja.
Location: Dwarka is located on west coast of the state in Jamnagar district. The newly declared extension of NH-8E connects Dwarka with other coastal parts of Gujarat.
The problems at Dwarka are similar to Ambaji. At present, Dwarka lacks i n infrastructure support for tourism development. Lack of waste collection and disposal facilities, narrow roads, encroachments in the town and near the temple area, water supply and drainage problem and congestion make it uncomfortable for visitors.
Nature of project: Area development of entire Dwarka town by way of systematic town planning and infrastructure development to provide tourists better facilities and to make Dwarka a beautiful place. This would include a large number of components involving elements of urban design, urban planning, city-level
interventions, (essentially public sector driven investment) to smaller sub-projects that would be attractive to the private sector.
Key Components:Main elements will be development of infrastructure facilities and tourist facilities to augment tourists’ accommodation capacity
- Urban design and urban renewal of selected parts of Dwarka town
- Beautification of the town through tree plantations, landscaping, public gardens and fountains
- Infrastructure development including road development, water supply and drainage development, better quality of potable water supply, street lights etc.
- Improved medical facilities with good hospitals
- Sea side and budget hotels
- Better quality restaurants
- Better public transportation facilities
- Safety measures for tourists using waterways to visit Bet Dwarka
- Dwarka museum at Bet Dwarka
- Restaurants at Bet Dwarka
Investment Potential: Cost of the project is Rs. 500 crore.
Koteshwar – Narayan sarovar- Area development
Koteshwar and Narayan sarovar exhibit high potential for development as tourist destinations owing to their scenic beauty, heritage, religious importance, and nearness to many other tourist attractions (which allow them to be developed as part of circuits) of Kutch.
There are many Dharamshalas at Narayan Sarovar but there are few luxury or budget hotels and restaurants at both places in spite of high flow of pilgrims and other tourists. TCGL is planning the following facilities in its integrated tourism plan:
- Road side amenities on the road connecting Narayan Sarovar and Koteshwar temple to Lakhtar and development of approach roads in both the places.
- Tourist information centre at Narayan Sarovar and Koteshwar.
- Drinking water supply and public toilet facilities at both places.
- Signage at strategic location in both places.
- Temple revitalization at Koteshwar
Location: Narayan Sarovar and Koteshwar are located at the extreme end of Kutch near Lakhpat Taluka.
Nature of Project: Location development in terms of desert tourism, pilgrimage tourism, wild life circuit.
Components
Investments by private sector are possible in areas such as budget and deluxe hotels, accommodation resorts, and recreation facilities. Indicative projects are listed below:
- Hotels and Resorts
- Recreation facilities such as beautiful gardens with landscaping and musical fountains
- Restaurants and lake side resorts at Narayan Sarovar.
- Heritage Museum at Narayan Sarovar with audio visual shows.
- Transportation facilities in terms of luxurious AC buses from Bhuj.
Investment Potential:
Estimated cost of the project is around Rs. 500 crore
| Heritage Renovation and Renewal : |
Rs. 10 crore |
| Hotels and Resorts : |
Rs. 300 crore |
| Recreation Facilities : |
Rs. 150 crore |
| Supporting Infrastructure at city level |
Rs. 40 crore |
Heritage places, famous for monuments, museums, fairs and festivals, handicrafts and archaeological sites are the potential spots for development of heritage tourism. The objective of heritage tourism is to conserve and maintain the unique identity of places and its people through direct interaction between the visiting tourist and the heritage resources of a place. From the perspective of the location, such heritage resources could include natural beauty, architecture, performing and fine arts, museums, regional speech, traditional crafts, religion and festivals. From the perspective of the tourists, heritage tourism would be an activity in which people enjoy the discovery of a place's unique identity derived from its history. It would involve exposure to authentic, high quality experiences rooted in, indigenous culture, heritage, landscapes etc. of a given local area. Heritage or cultural tourism is also known to contribute to the conservation and restoration of cultural resources and the economic well-being of the community.
In the above context, Gujarat has its resource-rich in terms of heritage sites. For example, it has archaeological sites such as Lothal and Dholavira and Champaner and historical places such as Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Porbander, Somnath, Dwarka, Girnar and Palitana. Among these Champaner is a declared world heritage site. These places need to be conserved and maintained. Further, conservation and development of activities and accommodation in these projects would help to attract foreign tourists in the state as well.
Balasinor has became world famous because it is one of the three largest dinosaur fossil sites in the world. Experts believe that this may well have been a major hatchery for dinosaurs, some of them over 20 meters long, and as old as 65 million years. Large numbers of eggs have been found here during excavations. Since children are the main target for theme parks and exploring dinosaurs is one of the most popular subjects for theme park development all over the world, a theme park on similar lines could lend a unique identity to Balasinor and position it differently from other tourism destinations in Gujarat.
Development of project will allow for long term business opportunities as improving state economy and improved infrastructure is likely to create long term interest in visiting this destination. It will also provide for employment generation for local people. Location: Balasinor is situated in Kheda district situated at a distance of 86 kms from Ahmedabad.
Nature of project: Development of a theme park based on Dinosaurs, since dinosaur fossils are found in Balasinor in village Raiyoli.
Key Components: Investments are possible in the following activities:
- Jurassic Park: Development of a grand amusement park on the theme of dinosaur including working models of different types of dinosaurs.
- Restaurants of different class serving various types of cousins.
- Improvement in the infrastructure facilities such as roads, water supply and drainage, public sanitation and power.
- Balasinor is also well known for its old havelis, one such old palace has been now converted into a heritage hotel known as Hotel Garden Palace. Marketing its heritage value would be important for Balasinor.
Investment Potential: Approximate cost of the project for development of amusement park and restaurants is Rs. 45 crore.
Champaner/Pavagadh – Tourism development
Champaner is the only place of Gujarat included in listings of Unesco’s World Heritage sites. It is the best archaeological and historical site in Gujarat. The Champaner Pavagadh Archeological Park is very rich in temples of Hindu and Jain architecture, mosques and water retaining installations. Thus it is a place of interest for foreign tourists. The project is based on the idea of conserving and maintaining the unique identity of the place and the people. The development and proper showcasing of the site can draw many foreign tourists and allow understanding and appreciation of heritage which help in development of area and employment generation to local people. Champaner is located on the foothills of Pavagadh.
Pavagadh is a famous pilgrimage destination for Hindu and Muslims located on a hill. The necessary facilities including ropeways are already developed.
Location: Champaner is located at the foot hills of Pavagadh in Vadodara district at border of Vadodara and Panchamahal districts. It is situated at a distance of 46 kms from Vadodara and 159 kms from Ahmedabad. Widening and strengthening of the road connecting Champaner to Vadadodara has been proposed under SHDP –annuity projects.
Nature of project: Heritage tourism development project supported with leisure and recreation activities like resorts & hotels, amusement parks and gardens.
Key Components: Major development components are listed below
- Museum
- Sound and light show
- Hotels and resorts
- Restaurants
- Amusement park
- Wayside amenities
- Garden with good landscaping.
- Jungle resort
- Medical facilities
- Transportation facilities
- Direct infrastructure facilities like road connectivity, water supply, solid waste and drainage.
Investment Potential: Estimated cost of the project is Rs. 100 crore.
Ecotourism has been universally recognised as a specific type of nature based tourism, which promotes responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well being of the local people and preserves wild life and natural habitats. This ensures the safety and survival of the nature and culture without damage to the environment. Places with bio diversity and cultural richness are the prime destinations in ecotourism.
Ecotourism also involves adventure tours like trekking tours through shallow river, forest areas and hills, boating in natural areas, sea surfing, hot air balloon ride over the forest, nature trails with guides who explain the flora, fauna and ecology of the area.
Gujarat has immense potential for developing nature based tourism owing to presence of bio diversity and cultural richness. For example, the Kutch region has a desert and its own culture and environment, Gujarat comprises longest coastline in the country with India’s only Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuary situated near Jamnagar, the wild life sanctuary at Sasangir the only place on the earth which serves as a natural habitat of Asiatic lions, Saputara and south Gujarat region have dense forests and rich tribal culture and Ambaji, Idar and Vijaynagar in North Gujarat region have the Aravalli mountain ranges, forests and rich tribal culture.
The common needs in these places are infrastructure facilities, such as better roads and connectivity, water supply and drainage, good restaurants and hotels along with tourist activities. These are the key elements required for development ecotourism in the state.
In the above context, by way of ecotourism Gujarat could capture a large share of foreign and domestic tourists. Project development concepts for two key tourism destinations are presented below. Similar developments are possible in reservoir based tourism projects and these projects have been included in the project shelf.
Ecotourism is the key driver in development of tourism in Idar, Vijaynagar and Polo. All places are situated in the northern part of the Sabarkantha district in North Gujarat. Shamlaji is a well known pilgrimage place surrounded by eye catching greenery, Vijaynagar is another unexplored hill station with some beautiful old monuments and Idar is a potential site for adventure sports in mountain area. Present facilities at all these places are inadequate.
Places like Vijaynagar and Idar are unique in nature of opportunities lying there.
- Idar offers adventure sports opportunities like rock climbing, mountaineering, paragliding and trekking.
- The Polo jungle is a dense one at barely three hours drive from Ahmedabad. It houses many species of birds and animals.
Thus development of eco and adventure sports in the region will be helpful in various ways as under:
- Development of local areas of Idar and Vijaynagar
- Local employment
- Conservation and rehabilitation of the monuments and other ancient structures
- Development of some beautiful and unique tourism sites and development of tourism industry in the region
Location: All places on the circuit are situated in the northern part of the Sabarkantha district in North Gujarat. Idar is situated at a distance 28 kms from urban centre Himatnagar through the NH-8.. Widening and strengthening of road connectivity of Idar from Himatnagar has been proposed under SHDP annuity. Vijaynagar and Polo forest are situated at the Gujarat-Rajasthan border in Banashkantha district at a distance of 59 kms from Idar. Widening and strengthening of road connectivity of Vijaynagar is also proposed under SHDP annuity.
Nature of project: Development of ecotourism and adventure sports with supporting infrastructure, leisure and recreational facilities.
Key Components: Proposed development components are as under:
Idar
- Adventure sports facilities for Rock climbing, Mountaineering, Para gliding., Hot air balloon ride over the forest and hills up to Vijaynagr, trekking
- Renovation, rehabilitation and development of heritage sites like Old palace, Rani talav, Idar kund, Raj chandravihar and other ancient structures
Vijaynagar and Polo
- Development of scenic spots like sunset point, echo point, lake etc.
- Elephant ride in Polo forest
- Development of tribal museum
- Amphitheatre with green rooms and audio visual provisions at Polo
- Development of Harnav dam area
- Renovation and rehabilitation of all heritage structures
Investment Potential: Estimated cost of the project is Rs. 200 crore
Development of Saputara hill station
Saputara is the only hill station in Gujarat, located at a height of 1000 metres. It is located on one of the highest plateaus of the Sahyadri range. Saputara today boasts of hill resorts, a museum, sunset point, valley view, a lake and boating. Around Saputara, there are attractions like Gira and Giramal waterfalls, Unnai hot springs, Vansanda National park and Purna Sanctuary.
Further, the region has famous tribal centres like Ambapada (bamboo lamps and toys), Linga (handloom weaving and has a traditional tribal society), Bhadrapada (fruits), Malegaon (traditional hut clusters), Jogbari (unique tribal musical instrument) and Gadavi (tribal dance and music). The region also has several temples and shrines like Waghdev Hanuman temple and Saptashrungi Mata temple.
The location has high potential for adventure sports like mountaineering, rock climbing and trekking. It is covered with dense forests which has animals like bear, leopard, wolf, fox and deer and a variety of birds. The hill station attracts over 3.5 lakh visitors per annum. Around 1.5 lakh of them stay overnight. There is potential to develop such tourist attractions in a manner that increases both the length of stay as well as average daily spend of the tourist. The potential can be fully realised through integrated development of the region.
Location: Saputara is situated on the Sahyadri ranges at the Gujarat-Maharashtra border in the Dang district in South Gujarat region. Saputara has good road connectivity with Bansada, a town at a distance of 66 kms. and the nearest airport is at Surat, 160 kms. away. The development and strengthening of Wagai-Saputara road has been proposed under the World Bank aided portion of the State Highway Development Project (SHDP?). This would ensure robust connectivity to Saputara.
Nature of project: Development of hill station in Saputara and ecotourism, tribal tourism in surrounding areas of Saputara.
Key Components: Development of Saputara as a major hill station shall involve:
- Offering services for adventure sports facilities like mountaineering, rock climbing, hand gliding at Saputara and a Gliding School.
- Resorts and hotels.
- High-end restaurants.
- Organization of the tribal festival.
- Tribal Heritage Walk (Development of tribal destinations, setting up of tribal and artisan village & museum, education interpretation and research centre)
- Development of tribal museum, tribal village with an education, interpretation and research centre and tribal village resort would be developed.
- Development of Vansada palace.
- A Snake and Reptile Park (with a small zoo) and a cactus house would to be developed in association with the forest department
- Nature Park with jungle resort.
- Hot air balloon ride over Vansada national park and Purna sanctuary.
- Development of Botanical garden.
- Luxury Buses connecting from Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad.
- World class Health (Ayurvedic/ Herbal) Resort
- Convocation & conference Halls
- Entertainment centre like Multiplex/ Amusement Park
- Nature camps in Purna Sanctuary and Trekking facility
- Forest Lodge & trekking in Vansda Sanctuary
- Permanent tribal handicraft showroom in Ahwa.
- Up gradation of the lake and development of major scenic spots like sunset point, echo point etc.
- Development of waterfall sites of Gira and Giramal.
Cost of project: Estimated cost of the project is Rs. 190 crore.
Leisure tourism is one of the most favoured segments of tourism across the world and tourist spend in this sector is also the maximum amongst all sectors. This genre of tourism provides relaxation to tourists in different ways such as rejuvenation in health spas, holidays in club resorts located on the beach or at hill stations, recreation facilities such as amusement parks and water sports and shopping.
Business tourism comprises of conventions, conferences and business development or execution visits. The hotel industry in key business towns is highly dependent on business travellers. Further, conferences, seminars and offsites organised by corporate bodies are a major segment of tourism which provides occupancy to hotels in exotic destinations such as Goa, Kerala and indeed at a number of hill stations around the country.
Further, newly emerging industrial areas of Gujarat in the form of SIR, PCPIR and SEZs will require to be supported by urban forms and townships. These large middle to high income population and the industry will required to be catered to in terms of development of hotels, tourism resorts, convention facilities, leisure and amusement facilities. This is expected to bring in major investments in these locations in Gujarat.
Gujarat has number of beautiful beaches where leisure tourism can be developed to support beach tourism. In addition to this some recreational and leisure facilities can be set up in urban areas as well as remote areas to develop as leisure tourism destinations.
Some key leisure projects that have high investment potential are enumerated below:
A ‘travel mart’ is a new concept in the tourism sector used for promotion activities. A relevant example of this is the “Kerala Travel Mart” (KTM). The impact of KTM can be seen in Kerala’s tourist growth numbers. In 2007, foreign tourist arrivals in Kerala grew 20.37% over 2006 to cross 515,000, while domestic tourist arrivals grew 5.92% over to cross 664,200. Total revenues from tourism grew by 25.28% to touch Rs.114.33 billion (Rs.11,433 crore).1 KTM was an effective tool to promote brand Kerala and the same can be replicated for Gujarat’s tourism industry as well.
Nature of project: Promotion of Brand Gujarat for tourism activities by development of Gujarat Travel Mart (GTM) with various activities
Location: Gandhinagar, 36 kms form Ahmedabad.
Key Components:
- Organization of tourism fair every year on a grand scale to attract investment in creation of tourism resources such as those mentioned in concepts above.
- Leisure zone: To provide fun and entertainment to the visitors of GTM in the form of:
- Eateries, Traditional and other form of music, Classical, traditional and western dance shows etc.
- Performance of traditional arts of Gujarat like Garba, Bhavai, Dandiya Ras and Thapi Dance.
- Promotion of traditional handicrafts and handlooms to promote shopping as an important element of tourism and develop the local industry.
- Other recreational activities like amusement parks, theatrical events etc.
Investment Potential:
Rs 251 crore, which is divided as follows:
| Mini Gujarat : |
Rs 73 crore |
| Leisure Zone : |
Rs 29 crore |
| Business Zone : |
Rs 100 crore |
| Amenities : |
Rs 31.43 crore |
| Land Development : |
Rs 17 crore |