MTDC revenues rise 100%

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corp has registered a 100 per cent rise in revenues in fiscal 2006-2007 courtesy its new interactive website which offers online booking.

After the website was started in March 2006, the total revenue of the body has shot up from Rs 3.81 crore in fiscal 2005-06 to Rs 6.57 crore in 2006-07.

"We will attribute the steep increase to the website as apart from availing the booking facility, our customers also check the availability of rooms," Deputy General Manager of MTDC Vijay Chavan said here.

A total of 4,689 bookings of the total of 24,922 or Rs 1.19 crore in revenue was collected from the website in 06-07.

Chavan said only 30-40 per cent of the bookings are done in advance while the rest are done on the spot. "The website has been of help as people get to know of resorts and room availability and are able to plan their travel," he said.

Apart from the website, Chavan attributed the growth in the revenue to the increased awareness in Maharashtra as a tourism sector due to the publicity campaign of the MTDC.

The MTDC is also working on innovative schemes to tap the tourism potential of the state to the fullest, Chavan said, adding the response to the Bed and Breakfast scheme under which the MTDC gives approval to any local who wishes to rent out some rooms within his home has been very good.