PUNE: The directorate of tourism and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) have organised seminars and discussions, and offline activities including a heritage walk in Pune and a meet-and-greet with patrons on Monday.
MTDC officials said the events are based on UNWTO‘s theme for World Tourism Day 2021 (September 27) which is Tourism for Inclusive Growth. They will also be collaborating with other professionals from the tourism industry to adapt to the changes brought on by the pandemic.
“World Tourism Day is an opportunity for all tourism-related businesses to reflect on how they can be more inclusive when tourism resumes post pandemic. Inviting tourists to listen to their ideas on how the industry can improve will help us to overcome stalemate. Social media will also be used to reach as many people as possible and to spread the concept of inclusive growth,” said Deepak Harane, regional manager (Pune), Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation.
Among online activities, a webinar has been organized in association with Telang College of Hotel Management, Pune, and Shivaji University, Kolhapur, on the revolution of the tourism industry post the pandemic.
The state government has launched a new user-friendly website and various MoUs worth Rs2,905 crore on the occasion of World Tourism Day. A collaboration has also been made with private online travel companies like MakeMyTrip and Goibibo to promote MTDC properties.
“The agenda for the Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals 2030 is to leave no one behind. This involves focus on every sector of the tourism sector to make the resumption and growth of tourism as inclusive as possible. Increasing access to tourism-related education and providing sector-specific training will give everyone the opportunity to benefit from future growth of tourism,” said Harane.
