Maharashtra Tourism Policy 2024: A Comprehensive Overview

Tourism has become a cornerstone of socio-economic development globally, offering diverse services and experiences that connect cultures and drive economic growth. Maharashtra, with its rich cultural and natural offerings, is poised to establish itself as a premier global tourism destination. To harness this potential and elevate the state’s tourism sector, the Government of Maharashtra has introduced the Tourism Policy 2024.

Objectives

The Tourism Policy 2024 is designed with ambitious goals to transform Maharashtra’s tourism landscape over the next decade:

• Investment Attraction
  Attract approximately INR 1,00,000 Crore in private investments into the tourism sector.
• Job Creation
  Generate around 18 lakh jobs, both direct and indirect, by infusing technical expertise, managerial skills, and organizational knowledge through private sector engagement.
• Tourist Inflow
  Double the number of tourists by enhancing destinations, infrastructure, and support for tour operators, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) operators, and destination wedding organizers.
• International Appeal
  Draw international tourists by developing world-class infrastructure and services, fostering a vibrant tourism sector, and boosting state revenue.
• Innovation and Competitiveness
  Foster innovation, productivity, and competitiveness in the tourism sector through digital technologies and new tourism products and services.

Validity & Operative Period

Effective Date: The Maharashtra Tourism Policy 2024 will come into effect from the date of its publication i.e. 18 July 2024

Duration: The policy is valid for a period of 10 years from its publication date. This duration may be extended or reduced by the Government of Maharashtra based on requirements and evolving circumstances.

Revisions: The Government of Maharashtra reserves the right to amend the policy as needed. Any new policy will supersede the current one, and provisions from earlier policies will be reinforced as applicable.

Transition from Previous Policies: Benefits provided under previous tourism policies will continue to be available for the duration granted on a case-by-case basis. In instances where provisional registration under the previous policy has not been finalized and a final certificate is yet to be issued, the benefits and incentives will be governed by the provisions of the policy in effect at the time of issuing the final certificate.

Project Classification

The Government of Maharashtra acknowledges the significant impact of mega project investments on the tourism sector. To encourage substantial investments and job creation, tourism units are categorized into Mega, Ultra-Mega, Large, and MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise) projects based on Fixed Capital Investment (FCI) and direct employment generated. Below is the classification and threshold limits for these categories:

A. Mega Project Unit:

• Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai Municipal Area (Zone A):
  Fixed Capital Investment: ₹300 Crores and Direct Employment Generation: 400 jobs
• Nasik, Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (Zone B):
  Fixed Capital Investment: ₹150 Crores and Direct Employment Generation: 200 jobs
• Rest of Maharashtra (Zone C):
  Fixed Capital Investment: ₹100 Crores and Direct Employment Generation: 50 jobs
• Specially Declared Tourism Zones (STZ/STD):
  Fixed Capital Investment: ₹50 Crores and Direct Employment Generation: 50 jobs

B. Ultra-Mega Project Unit:

• Entire State:
  Fixed Capital Investment: ₹500 Crores and Direct Employment Generation: 800 jobs

C. Large Tourism Units:
Large-scale tourism units, which exceed the investment thresholds defined for Medium Services Enterprises under the MSMED Act 2006 but fall short of Mega project thresholds, will be classified as large-scale tourism units.

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D. MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise) Tourism Units:
In alignment with the MSMED Act 2006, MSME tourism units are categorized as follows:

• I) Micro Enterprises:
  Minimum Investment: Up to ₹1 Crore and Minimum Direct Employment Generation: 10 jobs
• II) Small Enterprises:
  Minimum Investment: Up to ₹10 Crores and Minimum Direct Employment Generation: 15 jobs
• III)Medium Enterprises:
  Minimum Investment: Up to ₹50 Crores and Minimum Direct Employment Generation: 25 jobs