MTDC's pavilion idea turns big hit among IT employees

Pune: The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation's (MTDC) experiment with the new concept of 'tourism pavilion' at the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park (RGIP) in Hinjewadi has recorded almost two lakh bookings within seven days of its opening.
The pavilion was inaugurated on May 29 with the aim of reaching out to thousands of IT employees - many of whom hail from other states - and create awareness about tourism in Maharashtra.Infosys has around 30,000 employees here.
The MTDC said the initial project cost of Rs 30 lakh has been recovered. "The average daily footfall at the pavilion has been recorded at a whopping 400 people," it added.
The pavilion helps people plan weekend trips, experience agro and adventure tourism in the state. Valsa Nair Singh, principal secretary, cultural and tourism affairs of the state, said, "We also plan to provide bookings for amusement parks, hot air balloon rides, MTDC's and Asia's first scuba diving institute (PADI), jungle safaris, the luxury heritage train Deccan Odyssey, helicopter rides in Mumbai and the opportunity to experience colourful festivals like Ganeshotsav, Gokulashtami, Holi and Wari among others."
"Also, in the offing are special packages for people in Pune to experience the Mumbai Ganeshotsav festival with customized packages. The response is tremendous and we are taking every step to build it further," she added.
Looking ahead, the MTDC plans to start similar pavilions in other cities using the same model. "This initiative has boosted tourism in the state and within seven days of the launch, we have managed to draw bookings of two lakh at MTDC resorts. Many hotel chains have approached us expressing an interest to associate with us as pavilion stakeholders," said Satish Soni, state director of tourism and joint managing director, MTDC.
He said, "After the overwhelming response, we plan to open more such tourism pavilions in the next financial year. We have also targeted places like Bandra-Kurla complex, Seepz in Mumbai and Millenium Business Park in Vashi. Other cities include Indore, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Surat and Bengaluru."
The tourism pavilion is also available online through its portal which can now also be accessed by other IT Parks in Hinjewadi.
MTDC officials said they plan to reach out to other IT hubs in Pune. "We aim to reach about four lakh employees by providing kiosk in other companies with help of Hinjewadi Industries Association (HIA)," they added.