Gujarat’s Rann Utsav records lowest tourist footfall due to COVID-19

Rann Utsav is one of the most celebrated Indian festivals that takes place in Gujarat’s Kutch region every year. Lakhs of tourists partake in this prestigious colourful cultural fest but 2020’s festivities were quite different from previous ears. Given the pandemic situation, tourist footfalls fell by over half.

Tourism Minister Jawahar Chavda said that 2,06,056 tourists participated in Rann Utsav in 2020 compared to 4,38,125 in 2019. And among this, only 20 foreign tourists were a part of the festival as compared to 4,457 in 2019. Similarly, other popular international festivals in Gujarat like Navratri and kite fest too saw a huge dip in the number of foriegn travellers. The tourism department had spent nearly INR 18.9 crore in organising tourist events in 2020 compared to 35.8 crore in 2019.
From this, the government managed to earn INR 1.45 crore from entry fees during the Rann Utsav in 2020 compared to INR 2.10 crore in 2019, informed the minister. He also said that in 2020, the government had spent 9.78 crore only on Rann Utsav as compared to 5.12 crore in 2019.

Rann Utsav is organised every year between November and February. This festival offers an opportunity for people to get an insight into the rich culture of Gujarat.