Expect more leisure and tourism options in Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat and Karnataka, in the years to come. As per a latest study, Maharashtra has attracted highest investment from private investors in building facilities for tourists and visitors till June 2016. But the state stands fifth in terms of attracting tourists over the last two years.
While Maharashtra attracted investment proposals worth more than Rs.15,547 crore, Gujarat recorded Rs.13,542 crore, followed by Karnataka (Rs.11,049 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs.8,926.4 crore) and West Bengal (Rs.8,207 crore). The remaining 16 states received Rs.36,150 crore worth proposals.
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) study revealed that these investments would mainly cater to domestic tourists who have multiplied from 6.6 crore in 1991 to 143 crore in 2015. Big tourism projects are expected in the Mumbai-Pune zone, followed by the Konkan, Nashik, Ajanta-Ellora and around tiger reserves in Vidarbha. A senior state tourism official said an art village in Lonavala was one of the big projects on the cards.
Tamil Nadu and UP are the top two states that get most domestic tourists, who outclass international tourists in India. Foreign tourists increased from 31 lakh to 2.33 crore during the same period but their share in tourism has gone down. “In terms of contribution to tourism activity, the share of domestic tourists has been increasing. It is up from 95.5% in 1991 to 98.4% in 2015. The state's contribution is very high. The share of foreign tourist visits declined from 4.5% in 1991 to 1.6% in 2015,“ a tourism expert explained. Maharashtra recently announced a liberal policy to attract investment and is working to enhance the share of foreign tourists.
The investment pattern indicates that the distribution is highly skewed across states. As of June 2016, five of the 21 major states, (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal) emerged as preferred investment destinations by attracting 61.3% of the outstanding investments. “Maharashtra attracted investments worth over Rs.15,500 crore of the outstanding investments worth over Rs.93,400 crore attracted by the hotel and tourism industry in India as of June 2016,“ stated the `Domestic Tourism: Tap the treasure' study conducted by ASSOCHAM's economic research bureau.The study said domestic tourist visits in India can increase from over 143 crore in 2015 to over 227 crore by 2020.
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