Maharashtra Ex-servicemen Corporation Ltd. (MESCO), for the first time in the country has introduced the concept of Military tourism, ‘Veer Yatra’. Initially, MESCO has introduced nine packages ranging from one night stay to weeks stay. The tours are designed to give an authentic experience when it comes to living at Military sites wherein the facilities are very basic.
Speaking about the new initiative, Col.(Retd.) Suhas S Jatkar, Managing Director, MESCO said, “This is a new concept which we have started. It already exists in some of the countries. What we are looking at is to create jobs for the ex-servicemen and the widows. Also, we want to encourage and inspire the people and the youth of the country to join military. Military of defense is one field where civilians and students do not get a lot of exposure. With this new initiative, we will give the civilians a chance to live a military men’s life.”
Apart from the tourism division, MESCO has also entered the ticketing business. The key motto to enter these businesses is to create employment opportunities for the ex-servicemen and widows.
Jatkar added, “We don’t want the widows whose husbands do not come back from the battlefield to be left only with a meagre pension, we want them to earn and lead a life with dignity. So we are also looking at ticketing, that is air ticketing. We have got all the licenses. We are appealing to the travel and corporate fraternity to please give business as this will help in generating more and more employment. In future, we also have plans to get into the home stay business. We are planning to introduce stay with the war widows, where the tourists can understand the life of the widows. This will be a kind of home stay experience.”
One of the major segments that MESCO wants to tap is the MICE and Corporate segment. Jatkar said that they have created capsules for leadership and corporate trainings which is a unique product. He said, “We are also focusing a lot on the MICE Segment. During the day we can arrange for meetings and in the evening we can have military games and activities which are sort of team building exercises. We can also provide chat with war veterans from the 1965 war or the Kargil war, which will again be a unique experience.”
Under the Military tourism concept, MESCO will give the tourists a chance to experience War Memorial, Army Workshop, Defence Academy, Naval Base, Warfare Centre, Military Management Techniques, Art of War, Military Games and Survival Techniques. Veer Yatra will also showcase the institutions that it is made of, including the Armed Forces Medical College, College of Military Engineering, Air force Station, Military Hostels, various Regiments, Naval Aviation Museum, Military Museum and certain iconic spots such as China Border at Nathu La Pass, J&K – Pakistan Border, Military Post – Srinagar and a peep into the Border Roads Organisation.
“We will take the tourists to various military establishments throughout the nation. Apart from this, we have packages where we take the tourists to various forts and teach them how to look at a fort with a strategic view. This will help them to understand the structure of the forts and how the Marathas defended them,” Jatkar added.
