Gujarat fiestas turn lavish as Gujarat tourism doubles expenditure on festivals

The Gujarat Tourism Department has been spending quite a considerable amount of money in festivals. Reports suggest that the state tourism body had almost doubled its expenditure on Gujarat’s numerous festivals in 2017. The major festivals of Gujarat such as the Kite Festival, Beach Festival, Rannotsav, to name a few, were promoted for INR 21.14 crore. Kevadia Monsoon Festival however had another fate wherein from INR 45 lakh in 2016 it went down to INR 0 in 2017, due to water shortage problems. Keeping this in mind, let us take a look at the major festivals of Gujarat that can attract you for a visit.

Kite Festival

The recently concluded festival took place in January this year, and is one of the best times to visit Gujarat. The International Kite Festival sees people coming in from all over the world, and you will find yourself mesmerised by the show. Here you will find Chinese dragon kites, American banner kites, Japanese rokkaku kites and more. The festival is next set to take place in January 2019. The festival saw an expenditure of INR 6.34 crore in 2016, and this increased to 7.57 crore INR in 2017.
Read More: International Kite Festival 2018: the most interesting facts

Kutch Rann Utsav


A very important festival for Gujarat, this one saw INR 3.91 crore expenditure in 2016 and INR 5.27 crore in 2017, and you would find its proof in the decoration and grandeur of celebration. The festival is held in the months of November, December, January and February. A cultural festival, the highlight of it is the great Rann of Kutch, which is a wonder of wonders.

Read More: Places to visit in Kutch for a complete vacation

Beach Festival

Yet another fascinating festival, the Beach Festival takes place at Tithal Beach, and is going to be held in May this year. The festival sees numerous fairs happening during its running days, and is for everyone who loves beaches. This festival surely gives visitors a look into the different side of Gujarat, as participants come with immense enthusiasm. Tithal Beach is 4 km away from Valsad Town, and is a major tourist attraction.

Navratri


The festival of “nine nights,” Navratri is a religious festival, and a major tourist attraction in Gujarat. It involves lots of music, dance, food, and fun, besides daily prayers and devotion. There are numerous fun activities and other such events hosted all around the state of Gujarat. In fact, when it comes to expenditure for festivals, Navratri is right on top, with INR 6.92 crore spent in 2016, and INR 9.54 crore spent in 2017. It is the festival that Tourism department of Gujarat spends the most on. The main event of the festival is garba, and you must not miss it.