State registers an increase of 2.

5 million tourist inflow till july 2012 For a second year running, the state witnessed an increase of tourist inflow. It saw 2.5 million more tourists in 2011-12. The number of tourists visiting Gujarat during 2011-12 was 22 million, the number was about 19 million in 2010-2011, according to an official statement. This is double the national average of tourist inflow. This data was compiled by Gujarat Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organization Limited (GITCO) after analyzing the actual field data of hotel occupancy rate in the state, particularly night stays by the guests. This increase in tourist footfall is being attributed to the Khushboo Gujarat ki campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan launched by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL), two years ago. In the last two years the number of tourists coming to Gujarat has gone up to nearly 54 lakhs. Mr. Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Gujarat, said that the increase in tourist flow for the second year in a row was encouraging. He said: The fact that 54 lakh tourists were drawn by the state in just two years proved that the campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan was one of the most successful in the recent times.

Gujarats aggressive policy to develop the state as a tourism destination Gujarat government has earmarked 350 crore this year for infrastructure and development of tourism in the state. The state has drawn up an ambitious plan to attract investments of 48,000 crore in the tourism sector by 2020. The plan has been prepared by Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board The government has set up the Gujarat Tourism Project Development Company (GTPDCL) in collaboration with IL&FS. GTPDCL will undertake project development for about 50 projects that require investments between 10 to 200 crore.

Gujarat plans to unveil Cruise Tourism Policy

Gujarat is all set to add another dimension to its tourism portfolio. The Department of Tourism, Government of Gujarat has drafted a Cruise

Tourism Policy and plans to unveil the same. The new Cruise Tourism Policy is aimed at developing, supporting and promoting cruising, as well as various sea and water sports activities in the state. Tourism Department is now seeking approval from the state Home Ministry to clear security issues and after the Policy is passed by the Home Ministry

1)Business tourism Gujarat is one of the most industrialized states in the country. There are many Indian and global companies located in Gujarat and the area has seen double digit GDP growth in past decade. It is also known as "Growth Engine of India". Vibrant Gujarat is biennial investors' summit held by the government of Gujarat. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the state. It has become a model for economic success for many states. According to the list of the top 10 Indian cities by

GDP in 2009, based on a PricewaterhouseCoopers study,[4] Ahmedabad ranks 7th in India with an annual GDP of 59 billion USD. Gujarat International Finance Tec-City is an under-construction[5][6] city in Gujarat. It will be located next to the Sabramati river, 12 km north of Ahmedabad and 8 km South of Gandhinagar, the political capital of the state. It will be built on 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land. Its main purpose is to provide high quality physical infrastructure, so that finance and tech firms can relocate their operations there from Mumbai, Bangalore, Gurgaon and other regions where infrastructure is either inconsistent or very expensive 2)Hill Stations Gujarat's hills station, offer the best vistas, with rich flora and fauna, swift flowing streams and waterfalls. The Saputara hills, Girnar Hills, Wilson Hills are some of the finest. Rock climbing, mountaineering at these hills can take you closer to the sky to feel the cool clouds. Hang gliding and Para jumping are to being promoted in these areas as tourist attractions Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited has started to give a facelift to Gujarat's hill station at Saputara. TCGL will incur an expense of Rs 100 crore on giving the facelift to the hill station that will attracts over 10 lakh tourists in a year. The place will have multiple facilities for the tourists like an amphitheatre, an entrance plaza, a panchkarma centre, yoga huts, a food centre, food huts, food stalls, a garden and a gazebo, a jogging track, a skating rink, a sand pit, a water body, a dry garden, viewing decks, etc Wilson Hills is located in a dense forest region. There is a wildlife area called Vansda National Park located around 60 km from Wilson Hills. It is one of the few hill stations in the world where one can see the sea. Due to its elevation, Wilson Hills enjoys a cooler and less humid climate than the surrounding area, which makes it popular during the summer months Saputara hill station. The hill station of Saputara is located at an altitude of 873 m above the sea level on a plateau in the Dang forest area of the Sahyadri range. Long walks along the beautiful lake are some of the treats of this uncluttered and simple hill station. The more adventurous can trek down to nearby villages, the Hatgadh Fort or the legendary Pandava Caves. It has a cool bracing climate, the highest temperature even in the summer months not exceeding 28 Degrees C. Saputara has been developed as a planned hill resort with all the necessary ameneties like hotels, parks, swimming pools , boat club, theatres and a museum to ensure an enjoyable holiday in the cool of the hills. Saputara is only 164kms, from Surat Saputara you can do boating in saputara lake, there is rose garden which is a spectacular garden with many variety of Roses, there is Gira water falls. Pavagadh 3) beaches Gujarat has a coastline measuring more than 1660 km, the longest among all Indian states, lined by beaches, scenic rocky coast lands, beach palaces and shore temples. The coast promises a holiday that blends relaxing on sea beaches with sightseeing and other activities. A unique aspect of the Gujarat coast is the presence of royal palaces along the Porbandar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar and Kutch district coastline. Popular beach are Mandvi, Kutch Somnath Beach, Somnath Beyt Dwarka, Dwarka Ahmedpur Mandvi, Somnath

Chorwad Beach, Somnath Nargol, Surat Beaches, Jamnagar Okha Madhi, Dwarka Miyani Beach, Porbandar Pingleshwar Beach, Mandvi - Kutch Water sports of all varieties will be encouraged at these beaches and a clean environment, Water sports like surfing, yachting and scuba diving are to be developed in and around these resorts Good safe eco-friendly accommodation with five star facilities and security arrangements will be other important aspects required along these beaches to attract international tourist. 4)Archeological and heritage tourism Gujarat boasts of some of the finest sculptural and architectural beauties like the Sun Temple at Modhera. The seven storied step well at Rani Ni Vav, the toran at vadnagar and several others which express the cultural tradition that existed centuries ago and the monuments are comparable to the best anywhere in the World and are symbolic of our rich heritage. Special events like the annual dance festival at Modhera are massive attractions and the government gives priority to such events to promote the rich cultural heritage and tourism A rich civilization once existed on the banks of river Indus called the Indus Valley Civilization. Recent excavations at Dholavira in Kutch and Lothal near Ahmedabad, showcase the rich socio-cultural heritage of our ancestors. Within Gujarat there are a wide variety of historic forts, palaces, mosques, temples, and places of historical importance in Indias struggle for independence. Many of this palaces and forts have been converted into heritage hotels to keep tourists close to the vibrant history of Gujarat. Laxmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara Lakshmi Vilas Palace, was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890 at a cost of GBP180,000. Major Charles Mant was the architect It is reputed to have been the largest private dwelling built at the time and it is four times the size of Buckingham Palace in London. The palace grounds include a golf course and Sayajirao's personal museum & containing other displays. Vijay Vilas Palace, Mandavi Built in 1929 by Rao Vijayrajji, this palace is very well-maintained, and often the scene of filming for Bollywood productions. It was built of red sandstone in the Rajput style, with a main central dome, Bengal domes at the sides, bastions at the corner, and colored glass windows The tourism policy proposes to develop these sites as tourist destinations. Specialpackage tours can be arranged by private tourist operators with adequate and active support from the government to promote this circuit Other Mahal

Aina Mahal, Bhuj Nazarbaugh Palace, Vadodara Orchad Palace , Gondal Makarpura Palace Vadodara 5)Cultural tourism Gujarat is well known for its rich culture. The folk arts of Gujarat form a major part of the culture of the state. It preserves the rich tradition of song, dance, drama as well. The highlight of a trip to Gujarat for many travellers is the variety of handicrafts produced by the villages of Kutch district, The crafts of Kutch district are well known for their delightful array of colours and motifs. Handicrafts include Bandhani, patolas of Patan, kutchhi work, Khadi, bamboo craft, block printing, embroidery, woodcraft, metal crafts, pottery, namda, rogan painting, pithora and many more handicrafts. The Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, Mughals and British as well as Parsis have left their mark on Gujarats culture. 5)Religious tourism Gujarat- Home to multitude devotional centres and temples with Famous Regious Centers like Dwarka, Dakor, Ambaji, Palitana, Mahudi, Shankheshwar, Somnath, Shamlaji, Bahucharaji, Pavagadh, Kabirvad, Sun Temple, Modhera, Akshardham (Gandhinagar), Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad, Jain temples, Hindu Temples and Sudama Mandir. 6)Wildlife tourism Gujarat is habitat for the world's rarest as well large number of Fauna & Flora, Fauna includes Asiatic Lions, Wild Ass, Blackbuck, Bears, Monkeys, Nilgai, Paradise Flycatcher, Chinkara, Dolphins, Whale Shark and Migratory Birds like Flamingos, Pelican, Storks. Flora includes species of Khair, Sadad, Timru, Babul, Salai, Khakro, Ber, Asundro and Bordi. The state also has National park. Sanctuaries at Gir National Park, Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch, Vansda National Park, Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Kutch Bustard Sanctuary and Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar Birds across the seas regularly visit to nest in Gujarat at Nalsarovar and Kutch.The important species that visit are the Siberian Crane, Flamingoes, Pelicans and Falcons 7) Event Based Tourism The Gujarat tourism policy gives a special thrust to the event based tourism wherein thegovernment's active support, encouragement will be made available.To promote tourism and showcase Gujarat, special events and international fairs shall be arranged. Gujarat government gives this festival a high priority and invites people from all over the world to participate. This event promotes universal brotherhood and friendship where young and old irrespective of caste, creed or religion participate and enjoy.

"Global Garba" (OctoberNovember,all over the state), "Kite Festival (Makar Sankranti,1115 January, Ahmedabad), "Kankaria Carnival" (2531 December, Ahmedabad), "Rann Utsav" (NovemberDecember, Kutch), "Modhera Dance Festival" (3rd week January, Modhera) And fairs like Tarnetar Fair (August, Tarnetar) & Vautha Mela (November, Vautha). 8) Other attraction The River banks and canal banks are to being developed as tourist spots with motels, improvised shelters with fast food joints, theme restaurants and shopping centers. Boating and yachting will be added attractions. The Dinosaurs lived in Gujarat millions of years ago and their traces are found at several places in the form of fossils. The tourism policy gives a boost to develop dinosaur fossil parks at Balasinor and Kutch. A lofty and pleasant proposal to start cruises and ferry services in the coastal areas to cater to sea faring tourists with plenty of seafood and coastal delights, motels and landing sights are on the anvil. Investment and business opportunities are wide open and the governments policy is to encourage such ventures.
Sharks in Gujarat? Yes, the Policy envisages developing shark watching in the high seas of chorwad, veraval and Dunni Point near Dwarka. Fully safe speed boats will take tourists to watch sharks. ANY TAKERS? Lord Krishna reigned supreme at Dwarka. The legendary Dwarka is believed to be under water as per the marine archeologists and they have solid evidence to prove that an ancient city lies beneath the sea at Dwarka. Tourist Department proposes to take tourists in glass-bottomed boats to watch the underwater Dwarka with active private participation. Gujarat calling bollwood The latest destination seems to be Gujarat which features in at least five upcoming movies Abhishek Kapoors screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagats book, Three Mistakes Of My Life, Tigmanshu Dhulias sequel to Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, Vishal Bhardwajs next with Imran Khanand Anushka Sharma, Indra Kumars Grand Masti and Nikhil Dwivedis next action romance with Richa Chadda are all being shot there. Buzz is that the climax of Arbaaz Khans Dabangg 2 will be shot in Pawagadh, near Vadodara. The solar park, the largest in Asia pioneering initiative of the innovative merging of Jal Shakti with Urja Shaktiin in Gujarat. The park spread over 3000 acres of wasteland, is expected to produce 600 MW of valuable energy is being expected to be generated.