number of tourists in Gujarat will cross 14 crores

In 2022-23, the number of tourists in Gujarat will cross 14 crores – which was 61.65 lakh in 2003-04.

15/10/2024

In the last 23 years, Gujarat’s tourism budget has increased 135 times, providing employment to many people

The number of tourists increased 22 times in two decades

Two decades ago, Gujarat had no name in the field of tourism, but today Gujarat has become the state of choice for tourists from all over the world. In the year 2003-04, only 61.65 lakh tourists came to the state, which crossed 14 crores in 2022-23. These include more than 22 lakh foreign tourists. Not only this, in the year 2001-02, the budget of the tourism department was only Rs 12 crore, which has increased to Rs 1620.06 crore in 2024-25.

Festivals including Ranotsav, Patangotsav gained popularity globally

Realizing the importance of the white desert of Kutch from the tourism point of view, ‘Ranotsav’ was started in the year 2005. Ranotsav, which started from just three days, has today turned into a 4-month long event. The International Kite Festival was started to attract people from the country and abroad towards the popular festival of Uttarayan in Gujarat.

Kankaria Carnival is celebrated every year since 2009 at Kankaria Lake in Ahmedabad. Apart from this, the Tanariri festival celebrated in the memory of the sisters of Vadnagar, the subsequent festival showcasing Indian dance culture at the Modhera Sun Temple have also increased the number of tourists. Therefore, Navratri and its Garba of Gujarat have become famous globally by organizing vibrant Navratri festivals.

The world’s tallest statue ‘Statue of Unity’ has become a center of attraction for tourists from all over the world

The world’s tallest statue ‘Statue of Unity’ has been constructed in Kevadia with a height of 182 meters. Various tourist attractions have been developed around the Statue of Unity, including Jungle Safari Park, Children’s Nutrition Park, Arogya Van, Valley of Flowers, Ekta Mall, Ekta Nursery, Miyawaki Forest and Labyrinth Garden. Easy transport connectivity is provided to passengers by constructing a railway station in Kevadia. Kevadia is being developed as a complete tourism development by the state government.

Smritivan and Veer Bal Memorial

Smritivan was built in Kutch in memory of the victims of the Gojara earthquake of 26 January 2001. Veer Bal Memorial was prepared outside Anjar town in memory of the children and teachers buried in Anjar town in the earthquake in Kutch.

Tourism friendly policy implemented, many people got employment in tourism sector

The government has also implemented ‘Gujarat Tourism Policy’ with the aim of promoting the tourism sector in Gujarat, ‘Heritage Tourism Policy’ with the aim of promoting the historical heritage sites of the state as heritage tourist destinations and ‘Gujarat Homestay Policy’ with the aim of making tourists from the country and abroad aware of the culture and tradition of Gujarat and to taste Gujarati cuisine. Importantly, the increase in the number of tourists in Gujarat has created employment opportunities for the local people. Apart from this, Gujarat has a rich tradition of handicrafts, which is promoted by setting up handicraft stalls in various programs of the Tourism Department to provide a suitable platform to the artisans of the state to sell their artifacts, where the artisans get economic support by selling their products.

Gujarat’s tourism sector got international recognition under the leadership of the Prime Minister

In the last 23 years, Ranki Vav of Patan, Dholavira, Ahmedabad city and Champaner have been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Dhordo village of Kutch has been declared the “Best Tourist Village” by the United Nations agency World Tourism Organization. Garba of Gujarat has been included in the list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO. Shivrajpur Beach of Dwarka has been given the status of ‘Blue Flag Beach’. Smritivan Earthquake Memorial and Museum of Bhuj has been included in the list of 7 most beautiful museums in the world under the Prix Versailles Award of UNESCO.

Along with the development of pilgrimage sites, facilities for devotees have also increased

Asia’s largest Girnar ropeway has been built in Girnar of Junagadh, making darshan of Mataji accessible to devotees, especially elderly people. 51 Shaktipeeths have been built in Ambaji, the world famous pilgrimage site of Gujarat. Lakhs of devotees visiting Adyashakti Dham are now getting the benefit of visiting all the 51 Shaktipeeths together at one place. After 500 years, the newly constructed temple of Maa Kalika Mata has been inaugurated on the Golden Peak in Pavagadh. A convenient circuit house has been constructed for tourists at Somnath Temple, the first Jyotirlinga of Saurashtra. Many development works are being done for the facilities of pilgrims at Somnath Dham under the Prasad Yojana. GSRTC has introduced new types of services including sleeper coaches, AC coaches and high-class luxury coaches for long-distance journeys connecting various pilgrimage sites. Solar rooftop operations have been carried out at various pilgrimage sites in the state.

Financial assistance of ₹ 15,000 to pilgrims from Gujarat going on Sindhu Darshan Yatra

The state government has organized the Sindhu Darshan Yatra to promote ‘Sindhu Darshan Yatra’, which displays the unity of India’s diverse cultures. ₹ 15,000 to pilgrims from GujaratTo provide financial assistance of Rs. Shravan Tirthdarshan Yojana was started by the state government with the aim of providing pilgrimage to senior citizens of Gujarat.