As per the India Tourism Statistics 2018 report the State had 11.91 crore domestic tourist visits and 50 lakh foreign tourists visits during 2017.
When you are in Rome, behave as the Romans do, goes the saying. However, tourists who reside in the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation's (MTDC) resorts across the state often complained of not getting authentic local cuisines at their resorts, with the state-run corporation preferring to hire contractors from different cities across the state to run their restaurants, which has forced them to look at other eating options.
Now, the MTDC has decided to run these restaurants by recruiting local cooks to provide visitors an authentic culinary experience. Restaurants have been re-launched using this route at Harihareshwar (Raigad), Kunkeshwar (Sindhudurg) Panshet and Bhimashankar (Pune), Bodhalkasa (Gondia) and Nagpur, with plans to cover Tarkarli, Vijaydurg and Dhamapur (Sindhudurg), soon.
"At times, the restaurant contractors would not serve local food and instead, treat guests with Punjabi and south Indian varieties. Why should a tourist staying at Nagpur or in the Konkan region eat north Indian food instead of local cuisines like Saoji and Malvani? Hence, on an experiment basis, we have appointed local men and women as cooks," explained a senior MTDC official.
"There were complaints that the maintenance was not up to the mark and local tourist economy was not developing the way it should have. MTDC MD Abhimanyu Kale also felt that the corporation should take-over revenue generating activities," the official said.
As per the India Tourism Statistics 2018 report the State had 11.91 crore domestic tourist visits and 50 lakh foreign tourists visits during 2017. According to the Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2018-19, at All-India level, the state topped in foreign tourist visits.
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