Aurangabad tourism overlooked in Maha budget: Stakeholders

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Aurangabad tourism overlooked in Maha budget: Stakeholders
Aurangabad, Mar 9 () The Maharashtra state budget has overlooked the tourism industry in Aurangabad, which is home of several national and world heritage monuments, tourism stakeholders claimed on Tuesday.

According to stakeholders in the tourism industry here, the state budget, which was presented on Monday, had not given much attention to increase the footfall of tourists in the district.

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Aurangabad boasts of UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Ajanta and Ellora Caves and popular monuments including Bibi Ka Maqbara and Panchakki.

"Apart from national and world heritage sites, there are several places here, which have the potential to become tourist destinations and deserve more focus," said Anjali Pratap, the president of Aurangabad Hotel and Restaurant Association.

The association has put forth a proposal for aggressive promotional activities, she said.

The hospitality industry was severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and it needed some relaxations, as several people depend on it for their livelihoods, she added.

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The tourism industry in Aurangabad was overlooked in the state budget, said Jaswant Singh, president of Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation (ATDF) said.

"Aurangabad is said to be the tourism capital of Maharashtra, but still it was overlooked. No special programmes were announced for tourism marketing in the budget, while other states have come up with post-pandemic recovery programmes through tourism," Singh said.

Promotional activities need to be taken up specific to Aurangabad tourism, vice president of Aurangabad Hotel and Restaurant Association Sunil Choudhary said.

"Several spots in Aurangabad can be tapped for tourism potential and there should also be some infrastructure development from tourism point of view," he added. AW ARU ARU
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