A couple of years back, Monsoon was considered a slack period for the tourism boards and hotels. Most of the states used to witness a dip in the tourism footfall. But with the new concept of ‘Monsoon tourism’, some of the states have regained tourism numbers even during the lean period. States like Maharashtra, Goa, etc are also organising unique monsoon festivals to attract more domestic traffic.
Goa is one of the first states to introduce the monsoon tourism concept. Apart from Goa Tourism Development Corporation, the local Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) is promoting monsoon tourism under the name ‘selling raindrops’ since 20 years.
Nikhil Desai, Managing Director, Goa Tourism Development Corporation, said, “Goa is probably one of the best states during the monsoon time. The private and state run hotels have offered special packages for the monsoon season. We will also be promoting MICE tourism during this season. We are exploring every possible means to attract domestic as well as international tourists.”
Speaking about the selling raindrop concept, Ralph D’Souza , Spokesperson, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa said, “In Goa, we have undertaken this initiative 20 years ago. Once the season period is over, we have a lot of capacity in our state which is unsold during the monsoon season. After the peak season, the international tourists leave to their hometown. This is the time we start targeting the domestic tourism. We have crafted special packages which come with inexpensive room rates and other activities. We basically target mass tourism during this period. Also, during this period the beaches are all inaccessible. So a totally new set of products emerge such as river cruising, go kartings, etc. We also create a lot of tailor made packages for the FIT’s and the corporate segment during this season. We have seen tremendous success in the monsoon tourism which we promote.” This year to further attract tourism into the state during this monsoon period, Goa is also organising the Sao Joao festival on June 24. This monsoon feast has special significance in Christianity as it is dedicated to St John the Baptist, the firebrand prophet.
Kerala Tourism has been aggressively promoting monsoon (June-September & October-November) as a unique selling point since 2000. The state tourism department has been coming out with innovative marketing plans such as Mazha Yatra, Splash – the Wayanad monsoon carnival, Dream Seasons to draw more tourists from the domestic market and Gulf countries. One key attraction of Kerala during the monsoon is ayurvedic rejuvenation treatment. Ayurvedic physicians believe that the monsoon season is the best time for such treatment. Judging by the rush, tourists too seem to agree. They combine these treatments with sightseeing.
Taking a cue from these states, Madhya Pradesh Tourism has started promoting destinations like the Hanuwantia, Pachmari, Tamiya, Khajuraho and Mandu amongst others as a monsoon destination. Gujarat has also been promoting monsoon through a month long Saputara Monsoon Festival every year. Gujarat Tourism is investing heavily to set up infrastructure at Saputara and to develop this hill station as a major tourist destination.
Speaking about the monsoon tourism in Maharashtra, Satish Soni, Director of Tourism – Government of Maharashtra and Joint Managing Director MTDC said, “For monsoon tourism, popular destinations in Maharashtra are mostly located in the Konkan region. Major monsoon destinations which we promote are Malshej and Matheran. We have got good enquiries and some good bookings for June and July. In monsoon, people also travel to Mahabaleshwar, Amboli, Tarkarli, and Ganpatiphule. But the issue at such beach destinations is that water sports and boats are not allowed during rains. This year, we are introducing a new attraction. We have the institute of scuba diving where we have a 25 feet tank, with a few innovative ideas; we will create a marine life experience in this tank. So, that people can experience the marine life without entering the sea.” Also, this year MTDC is planning to organise a monsoon festival in the state. Soni added, “We are targeting all the segments including MICE for monsoon tourism. We are also facilitating for the senior citizen by giving them various discount. This year we will come up with a monsoon festival to attract more numbers.
