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Gujarat pitches Saputara fest for city tourists [Nagpur] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) NAGPUR: Even as Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) gropes for a serious marketing strategy to sell tourism in Vidarbha, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) on Thursday raised the pitch for its destinations for city tourists. TCGL hosted a promotional event in the city for ?Saputara Monsoon Festival', scheduled to be organized from August 16 to September 7 in Saputara, a hill station 80km from Nashik. Saputara is similar to Melghat-Chikhaldara but MTDC has never bothered to market it. When contacted, Amravati MTDC regional manager Shipra Hake said, "Our packages for Chikhaldara-Melghat are in process." Sanatan Pancholi, resident manager of TCGL, introduced the festival and informed that Saputara offered variety of activities for tourists. Some of the events during this period would include water games, adventure activities, laser show, photography exhibition, heritage walk, cultural evenings, food festival contests etc. Gujarat Tourism has launched some attractive tour packages from Rs 490 to Rs 5,000 per person. Pancholi urged private tour operators from Nagpur and other cities to evolve their own packages for the festival. The packages on offer include two nights stay that showcases sites like echo point, Wagha Bari, step garden, artistic village, log hut, Saputara museum, lake, sunset point, ropeway etc. It is priced at Rs 5,000 per person. Senior TCGL official K Biswas added Gujarat Tourism had spent Rs 65 crore towards developing infrastructrure at Saputara. "We are focusing on Maharashtra as 37% of tourists there come from here," he said. Saputara, at the southern tip of Gujarat, is located into the densely wooded hills of Sahyadris. It is a hill station that is still pretty. Hindu mythology states that Lord Rama spent 11 years of his exile in these forests. Biswas also informed about upcoming event Tarnetar fair from August 29 to 31. Tarnetar is held at the temple of Shiva or Trinetreshwar (three-eyed god). The Tarnetar fair covers a large part of Tarnetar village in Saurashtra region with a huge number of stalls put up selling beautiful local handicraft unavailable elsewhere along with ethnic jewellery, statues of deities and traditional mirror work attires. (c) 2014 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |