The Sindhudurg district, which has been identified by the Central Government to be developed as Konkan Riviera, offers tremendous potential to be developed as a tourist destination. In order to make the investors aware of this beautiful region, & encourage investment in Konkan region, MEDC organized a Business Seminar on Konkan Riviera: Opportunities for Tourism and Entertainment Industry on Saturday 26 April 2003 at Chetana College Auditorium in Mumbai. The Seminar was organized concurrently with the 'Mega Mango Festival' of Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board. Shri Ajitrao Ghorpade, Guardian Minister, Sindhudurg inaugurated the seminar. The participants in the inaugural session were: Col. Sudhir Sawant, Member of Legislative Council, Shri Bal Mane, Member of Legislative Assembly (BJP), & Shri Vitthal Kamath, CEO and MD, Kamath Group of Hotels. 

In his Introductory Remarks, Shri M.N. Chaini, President, MEDC said that although Konkan is generously endowed with natural resources, its per capita income is much lower than the State average. The per capita income of Konkan, he said, could be raised to Rs.1 lakh as envisaged in the MEDC's Vision 2005 Report, prepared for the Government  of Maharashtra. This is possible by harnessing the tremendous potential of Konkan region, especially in tourism & entertainment sector. The major impediment in the development is, however, infrastructure & mindset of the local people. MEDC had organized Maharashtra Infrastructure Summit in November 2002 & at that Summit, several foreign investors had shown interest in investing in tourism & infrastructure sector. The Summit also placed emphasize on infrastructure development, primarily through private sector participation, with the Govt. playing the role of facilitator. 

Shri Ajitrao Ghorpade, in his inaugural speech, said, "The Goa International Airport will come up on the border of Sindhudurg, giving a boost to tourism in Konkan as well as in Goa. Besides, the coastal highway is just 38 kms short of completion and will be completed in two years." He mentioned that to promote Ayurvedic tourism, the Government  of Maharashtra has included ayurvedic vanaspati plantation in the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGC), wherein all costs will be borne by the Govt. The govt is also planning to adopt single window scheme for promoting industrial development in Konkan. For water conservation, Government will invite private sector in generation of hydro-electricity in Konkan region, he added. 

MEDC, through its research work identified the beautiful locations in Ratnagiri & Sindhudurg district, which could be developed as tourist destinations. This information was presented to the audience at the seminar in the form of a multimedia presentation & a brochure giving details of the beaches, natural beauty, heritage, culture as well as the history of Konkan region. 

The views emanating from the inaugural session are as follows:

• Tourism, Fisheries, Horticulture and Mining are the four key areas for the development of the Konkan region.

• Inadequate planning and lack of co-ordination between different agencies have hindered the transformation of Konkan into the California of Maharashtra.

• Culture, unpolluted beaches, historical forts and the landscape are Konkan's strength and therefore greater focus is required on promotion of the cultural and eco tourism.

• Weakness of Konkan centers around the Government policies especially related to CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) regulation and the inadequate infrastructure.

• Opportunities for promoting domestic tourism in Konkan are stupendous.

• Goa International Airport will come up on the border of Sindhudurg, giving a boost to tourism in Konkan as well as in Goa.

• Need to adopt a Kerala pattern, develop water transport and an attitudinal change to boost tourism.

• Need of an integrated approach to the development of tourism.

• Tourism development is an ongoing process and that it should continue irrespective of which government comes into or goes out of power.

During the Business Session I, Shri Ashish Kumar Singh, MD, MTDC, highlighted the govt policy and MTDC's role in promoting tourism. The scenic 720 km long coastline of Konkan has been included for development as the National Tourism Circuit and Tarkarli has been chosen as the new port of call for Hebridean Cruise Liners, he said. Calling for the Development of Konkan on the lines of the French Riviera, Bali and Gold Coast, he outlined the strategy comprising development of self contained resorts on under populated and under productive lands, strong public-private collaboration in the development of infrastructure, creation of training schools for absorption of local populace in the tourism industry, aggressive marketing. The Government  of Maharashtra has allocated Rs 5 crores in this budget for the Konkan Riviera, he informed. 

Ms Chandra Iyengar, Secretary, Tourism said that the Government  of Maharashtra is going all out in attracting youth through development of tourism clubs in the campuses. Sindhudurg has already been declared as a tourism district and the focus is now on attracting domestic tourists to the region. She also exhorted the Kokan Vasis to come forward in indicating the potential tourist spots, which could be taken up for promotion in Konkan. 

Eminent film director Shri Jabbar Patel chaired the business session on entertainment. The participants in the session were Shri Ashutosh Gowarikar, Eminent film director, Shri Nitin Desai, Eminent Art Director, Shri Nitin Vaidya, CEO, Alpha TV Marathi, and Shri Ashok Hande, Event manager. 

Deliberations in the entertainment session were on the following issues:

• Unlike the Multinational companies, Marathi entrepreneurs have not exploited the commercial potential of the Marathi programmes & channels to reach out to the customers.

• The chief hindrances for the development of Konkan as sought-after locale for entertainment industry are: Inadequate marketing, lack of organized & co-ordinated efforts, lack of good approach roads, inadequate transport, lodging and boarding facilities, adequate security, electricity, ease of transport etc.

• While the Government of Goa has aggressively marketed their destination by making presentations, the Government of Maharashtra has been lacking in this aspect.

• Konkan is culturally rich; it is home to a number of talented people (sculptors, musicians et al), and unionism amongst these people is not as high as in the west; but this aspect needs to be aggressively marketed and packaged to Hollywood filmmakers through effective presentations and dissemination of information through the internet.

• Apart from producing film, the Government should also focus on distribution of films.

• Building good quality theatres in Konkan needs to be given priority.

• Choose a location like Vijaydurg for presentation of live events showcasing the rich culture of Konkan.

• The Government of Maharashtra must offer some incentives to filmmakers and aggressively market Konkan as an interesting locale for film-making.

• Govt of Maharashtra has decided to consider provision of incentives for the entertainment sector after discussing with key persons from the industry.

The session concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Shri Deepak Ghaisas, Vice-President, MEDC.