The Taj Mahal at Agra in Uttar Pradesh is set to reopen on September 21, over six months after it was shut. However, the Ajanta and Ellora caves, the UNESCO heritage sites located in Aurangabad, and other monuments in Maharashtra are yet to be reopened for visitors.
“When the Archaeological Survey of India’s Agra circle has decided to reopen the Taj Mahal, why Ajanta and Ellora can’t be opened?” asks Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation’s (ATDF) civil aviation committee chairman Sunit Kothari.
He also called for the use of social media and digital platforms to promote tourist spots in Aurangabad. Videos showing safety precautions being taken at tourist spots could also help in drawing visitors here, he said. “As long as foreign tourists are unable to come to Aurangabad, the tourism industry here should focus on attracting local tourists and visitors from neighbouring districts and states,” Kothari said.
ATDF president Jaswant Singh said Aurangabad’s tourism potential still remains untapped. “To get more foreign tourists here, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) needs to reach out to different countries. Besides visionary leaders, citizens must also pitch in to promote our tourism assets,” he said.
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