MTDC to begin social tourism soon

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has announced social tourism and study tours with visits to places like Anandvan, Vigyan Ashram, Hiware Bazaar, Hemal Kasa, SEARCH, Sanmati Bal Niketan, Ralegoan Siddhi and Gram Bal Shiksha Kendra where various social reformation initiatives have been taken up.

Similarly, the tourism corporation has also started study tours to Lonar lake in Buldhana, birding/nature excursions and a 'Gandhi Circuit' for school and college students. As part of the Lonar lake tour, students will get to experience sky-watching at Nehru Planetarium.

These tours will be conducted once in every month.

Paraag Jaiin Nainuttia, managing director, MTDC, said: "We are proud of the great work being carried out by these humanitarian organisations. They reflect the culture and philosophy of this state and its people and we would like the world to know about it. This has great tourism potential as the social circuits are high in demand from domestic and international tourists. Our initiative will help tourists understand the strength of Maharashtra with so many extraordinary social reformers, who have changed the socio-economic dynamics of the region. Learning and exposure will enhance the tourist experiment. We will look at revising the frequency of these tours depending on the response from tourists who want to explore the work of famous reformers in Maharashtra."

According to tourism department officials, the duration of various tour packages range from 1-day to 8-days and the package cost ranges from Rs860 to Rs6,200, depending on the location, stay and mode of transport. Tours include accommodation in budget category hotel/MTDC resorts.