Ratnagiri to rival Goa as tourist hub, development centre in two years: Uday Samant

Ratnagiri district is emerging as a tourist destination to rival Goa, guardian minister Uday Samant said. He said the government was committed to developing the district and boosting tourism. The government is considering granting industry status to the hotel and fruit-processing sectors, he said, adding that this would make a big difference to both fields. He announced that a separate tourism development centre to provide information to tourists would be set up within the next two years. Minister Samant was speaking at a World Tourism Day event organised by the Ratnagiri Paryatan Sahakari Seva Sanstha Maryadit, Samruddha Marathi Chambers of Commerce (Mumbai) and the Directorate of Tourism at Hotel Viva on Sunday. MLA Dnyaneshwar Mhatre, municipal council president Shilpa Surve and Infigo Eye Care managing director Dr Shridhar Thakur were present.

Minister Samant praised Raju Bhatlekar for his continuous efforts to promote tourism and for providing a platform through tourism councils and workshops. He said Ratnagiri's hotels were 90 to 95 percent full during Diwali, December 31, Shimga and Ganeshotsav. He recalled that there was once doubt and criticism over whether an airport would come up in Ratnagiri at all.

However, the airstrip here has now been lengthened from 1,400 metres to 2,100 metres and widened from 30 metres to 45 metres at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Samant said this expansion would allow an 82-seater ATR aircraft to land easily, further boosting tourism. Under the UDAN scheme, a terminal building as well-equipped as any in the country has been built at Ratnagiri. On entering the building, visitors are greeted by depictions of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Konkani Sarkali.

Six special stalls have been set up in the terminal building to take Konkan products to a global level. Through these, tourists coming from Mumbai and elsewhere will be introduced to local items such as kokum sarbat and solkadhi. Minister Samant also announced that flight services from Ratnagiri airport to Mumbai and Hyderabad would begin from the first week of January, allowing residents to travel by air.

In his introductory remarks, Sudhir alias Bhai Risbud spoke about tourism in the Konkan region and the projects and initiatives carried out in Ratnagiri under the vision of guardian minister Uday Samant. He noted that the minister's focus was not just on proposing ideas but on actually implementing them. The programme was compered by Rajesh Ayre.