State to host 16 festivals to explore tourism potential

Lokmat News Network Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

In a bid to explore the tourism potential of Maharashtra and increase tourist footfalls, the Department of Tourism (DoT) has decided to host 16 festivals at different heritage and religious sites and places in the state during the whole year.

The heritage lovers and tourism associates were taken aback as the list mentions holding the Ellora Festival (it is not clear whether it means to say Ellora-Ajanta Festival) in January 2024. The dates of other major festivals were fixed except Ellora Festival and Mumbai International Festival (in November 2023).

As reported earlier, the Ellora-Ajanta festival was held in February 2023 after a gap of seven long years. Hence the tourism industry associates demanded to declare fixed dates for the next festival so that there does not remain any gap in the conduct of the festival in 2024 and thereafter.

The list mentions of Mahabaleshwar Festival (May 27-28), Fireflies Festival in Bhandardara (June 3-4), Kaas Pathar Festival (September 2-3), Nagpur Festival (December 23-25), Guru Mahotsav in Nanded (December 25-26), Grapes Festival in Nasik (February 24-25, 2024).

Meanwhile, demand has come up to make it clear whether Ellora Festival and Ellora-Ajanta Festival are the same or different and fixed the dates so that the tourists plan their tour of the historic city accordingly.