NEWS
INDIA: DOMESTIC TOURISTS FLOCKED BACK TO NASHIK WINE REGION SINCE COVID RULES LIFTED IN JUNE
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
23-8-2021
Source: Soma Vineyards
The number of domestic tourists visiting India’s Nashik wine region has doubled to 18,000 in July since the state government eased Covid restrictions in June, according to the All-India Wines Producers’ Association (AIWPA).
So far in August, 12,000 tourists have visited the region, this compared to 9,000 in the whole of June.
Most of the tourists came the cities of Pune and Mumbai. “More than 50 percent of the tourists at the different vineyards in Nashik are from Mumbai and Pune. Gujarat-based tourists constitute another 5 percent. The rest are from our region,” AIWPA president Jagdish Holkar told Times of India.
“Nashik is easily accessible by road from Mumbai and Pune. The serene ambience at the wineries is just right for people to unwind with their families,” said Holkar.
Multiple reasons can be attributed to the increase in visitors to the vineyards, but the doing away of e-passes for intra-district travel and Covid test reports are seen as the two reasons that encourage tourists to travel.
Holkar said the monthly pre-Covid revenue generation from wine tourism in Nashik was around Rs80 million (USD1.08 million) . “Currently, the sector makes around Rs 45 to 50 million a month. If the trend continues, revenue generation would reach the pre-Covid level soon,” he said.
Monit Dhavala, senior vice-president (hospitality) at Sula Vineyards, said wine tourism in Nashik is fast picking up as people are looking to unwind following the easing of restrictions. He told Times of India that the occupancy at his company’s 61-room resort increased from 40 percent in June to over 90 percent since July.
Pradeep Pachpatil, chairman of Nashik-based Soma Wines, said the room occupancy at his 48-room resort is almost 100 percent on weekends and over 75 percent on weekdays.
According to Times of India, the other major wineries in Nashik - York, Vallonné, Grover Zampa, Renaissance and Good Drops - all witness huge tourist inflow from across the country as well.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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