City's garba to go global

VADODARA: The nine-day Navratri revelry in garba capital of the state is set to go international with the Gujarat government planning to promote it in a major way. This will also be the first effort to highlight the city as a tourist destination leveraging the Navratri festivities.
A major exhibition to showcase the city and nearby destinations as tourist places is being planned next Navratri.Besides, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Champaner, a series of small havelis developed by their owners and eco-tourism sites, dot the landscape around Vadodara.
The state government plans to highlight the city's garba both at the national and international level roping in travel and tour agents. Speaking to The Times of India, state tourism minister Saurabh Patel said the city's Navratri is the best.
"We plan to promote it and have tourists both from India as well as abroad come to the city to witness the event," Patel said.
Patel pointed out that with several heritage destinations around the city and Statue of Unity at Kevadia near here in near future, there was immense potential to develop Vadodara as a tourist destination. "We are also in the process of developing palaces and havelis as heritage destinations," he said.
Patel was in the city for the two-day Great India Heritage Fest 2014 that began on Saturday. He said a policy was being devised to promote properties owned by royal families in the state as heritage destinations. "The royals will be coming up with their suggestions in this regard," Patel said.
Patel pointed out that hundreds of such properties that dotted the state could be developed. "These can be developed in coordination with their owners. We are looking to form a policy in this regard," Patel said.
An exhibition of vintage and classic cars is also being held at the festival organized at Navlakhi grounds. Besides heritage destinations in the state, oleographs of Raja Ravi Varma, who had done significant work in the city, are also displayed at the exhibition.