Skip to main content

Konkan coast of Maharashtra



Everytime anyone thinks of a beach destination in India, Goa would pop up. Goa has captured the imagination of the market, everyone wants to come here.

On the west coast apart from Goa there is Kerala which has benefited greatly from smart positioning & branding. Kerala has created a niche for itself by positioning itself as a premium cultural destination.

The 2 larger states bordering Goa, Maharashtra & Karnataka have larger coastline and each of them have a unique cultural identity, markets are slowly warming up to the idea of a travel experience on the coast beyond Goa. Thanks to Instagram and Social media and the craze of being at unexplored places, guests are seeking out these unique destinations however infrastructure still needs a massive upgrade for tourists to have a relaxed holiday experience. As the economy grows we hope the policy makers and planners put into motion robust infrastructure developments that are sensitive to the ecosystem of the destination.

Being based out of North Goa we are just 35 Km from Maharashtra border, we have been closely observing the development and growth of tourism in the Konkan coast of Maharashtra. There is a large concern that this region will try to emulate Goa and will chase mass tourism. Tourism always has a price to pay and large volumes of tourists with unplanned and haphazard infrastructure growth is always a recipe for disaster.

Konkan is beautiful, has such rich culture, architecture and cuisine. Its uniqueness needs to be positioned to create travel experiences that showcase the way of life here and not change it. There are many enriching experiences that can be unique for visiting tourists and travellers. The wisdom of the locals in the materials they choose to build their homes, the climate responsiveness of its Architecture, the seasonal choice of fruits, vegetables and seafood in its cuisine, the local artforms of dashavtar and shigmo where the local deities rooted in nature are invoked, the devrais or sacred groves that are revered to date, the waater management systems of each village, the jatras and its significance the list goes on.

There is hope that these treasure troves of wisdom will be preserved when you meet the wonderful and simple people of Konkan. There are many organisations working in enlightening the locals about the value of their customs and practices. There are audacious and ambitious entrepreneurs in this sector that are creating enriching experiences for tourists, may this breed grow and may many visiting Konkan get enriched by thes unique experiences.

https://universityoflife.org.in/

https://konkaniranmanus.in/trip/

https://maachli.in/

https://www.viharaecotourism.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nVN8yo19nKuJgA9RKCTRQ






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

It's About the Bum

Crossing over from Goa to Maharashtra, Crossing the Karli river, had to really convince this guy. My ride on the boat on the river Karli Wadantar Back waters, near Vijaydurg Vijaydurg fort, it was a relief to reach here, the ride till here was never ending. Can I get a Thums Up please Crossing over from Vijaydurg to Jaitapur  Thank God ! it was low tide. My highest climb, so I thought near Ratnagiri.  from Dhabol to Dhopave. When you are down you just have to look around. A huge ancient Masjid in Dhopave. Just before crossing over to Raigad. The terrain, roads were fairly good !! Crossing over a bridge in Jaitapur Siolim bridge in Goa My journey through Konkan on a cycle Sindhudurg..... "Fear is a good thing." The night before I started my journey was a nervous one. Packing, unpacking, trying to make my backpack lighter, question's all over me - What if I get robbed? What if

Anatomy of an Architectural Tour

We have been curating and planning architectural students tours over the past 2 decades and in this time the number of Architectural colleges have grown exponentially. It will be interesting to study the size of this market in terms of tours, competitors etc. We haven't come across this specific segment level analysis but we have many other learnings over time.  In this blog we try to articulate the anatomy of an Architectural tour, its different stakeholders and the impact these have in the overall experience.  Stakeholder 1 - The students Young and energetic and eager to explore, probably stepping out of the shadows of their parents and families for the first time. Their imagination of travel to a destination is derived from popular culture and Instagram. They don't know exactly what to expect but invariably these tours remain memorable for a long time.  Stakeholder 2 - The faculties and the management A destination is picked and finalised with an agenda that adds value to th

There is only 1 Goa in India

 Goa first came on the tourist map in the 60's as a hippie haven, probably the golden era of tourism in this tiny state. The tourists were more sensitive towards local culture and the environment. They consumed less and were happy living the life of the locals.  When the benefits of liberalisation started to trickle down and when a new and ambitious middle class started travelling, Goa witnessed mass tourism in the 90's and 2000's. There was a sudden surge of investments, construction and development, the era of unplanned tourism growth. Everyone wanted to be in Goa and everyone wanted to invest here.  The result of this era is what we experience in Goa of today, the relaxed vibe gave way to environmental degradation, overcrowding and cultural commodification, everything that this sunny seaside state was not known for.  Yet there is only 1 Goa in India and tourists still come here in hordes to experience the beaches, architecture, cuisine and the Goan vibe.  When we got the