Gujarat’s much awaited month-long Saputara Monsoon Festival began with great fervor from today, August 10, and will go on until September 9. The formal inauguration by the Minister of Tourism, Jawahar Chawda at Saputara, was attended by the local dignitaries such as Bibiben Chowdhury, Dang District Panchayat President, KC. Patel, Valsad MP, Mangalabhai Gavit, Dang MLA, Managing Director, Gujarat Tourism Corporation Jenu Devan and District Collector N.K. Damor. The Minister pointed out that tourism to the region had increased by 14% per annum, and nearly 6 crore tourists visited Gujarat, encouraged by the good infrastructure.
A special inaugural parade was organised and featured a fascinating tableau,folk dance by the famous Siddi brothers of Gujarat, brass band, stilt walkers and everything else that makes up a fun event for the old and young. The festival is organised by Gujarat Tourism to promote Saputara as a hill resort destination and create awareness about its many natural and cultural attractions.
Shri Jenu Devan, Managing Director, Gujarat Tourism, said, “The festival is very popular in Gujarat and our neighboring state Maharashtra. Since the last few years we have been seen a great rise in tourist footfall from across the country. The tourist flow goes up phenomenally during the Monsoon Festival. Saputara is indeed a beautiful place and during the monsoon it blooms in full glory. The Tourism department is taking various initiatives to provide the best of experiences to tourists. We have special tour packages for tourists 
arriving from different parts of the country. The festival also serves the government’s major objective of providing income generation and livelihood to the locals. The popularity of Saputara will definitely increase and we will see more people coming in and enjoying the true beauty of monsoon here.”
Saputara is nestled in the picturesque Dang District and the densely wooded hills of the Sahayadris. It’s a part of Gujarat’s only mountainous region and has emerged as one of the state’s major tourist destinations.
How to reach Saputara: For tourists wishing to visit Saputara, the nearest airport is Surat which is 164 km away. Nashik is about 85 km from here and Mumbai is 250 km. More information about the Saputara Monsoon Festival 2019 is available at www.gujarattourism.com.
