Tourism in Gujarat: A Brief Guide

During the last few years, the Western state of Gujarat has emerged as a tourist haven. People from India and abroad, travel to Gujarat in huge numbers to explore its rich cultural heritage and bask in the glory of nature. They also come to experience the modern urban infrastructure which is becoming the hallmark of every city of the state.

“Aavo Padharo”- these are the humble words Gujaratis use to welcome the guests which flock from all parts of the world. Gujarats are ever-so-friendly people who truly live by the ancient Indian dictum of “Atithi Devo Bhava”, which literally means a guest is equivalent to God.

Gujarat has a lot to offer to the traveller. History spanning across centuries waiting to be discovered. This is well complemented by the rich and heart-warming traditions of the state. The geology of the state is unique in a lot of different ways. There are volcanic outpourings, Neolithic caves and rock cuts – the state has it all.

The scope of tourism in the state is indeed very vast. There are a plethora of forts, museums, wild life sanctuaries, temples and mosques along with several other places of interest. Eight distinct tourism hubs have been setup by the authorities. These hubs are: Ahmedabad Metro, Ahmedabad Rural (North Gujarat), Surat (South Gujarat), Vadodara (Central Gujarat), Rajkot, Junagadh and Jamnagar (Saurashtra) and Bhuj (Kutch). This is for the convenience of the tourists frequenting the state. The best thing is that all these hubs have modern infrastructure and facilities. The connectivity among them is great and there are adequate hospitality and medical facilities.

Religious Tourism in Gujarat

The state is home to a number of centres of devotions of different faiths. There are ancient temples – Hindu and Jain – dating back to several centuries. These temples draw lakhs of visitors every year. Some of the prominent religious tourism centres in the state include Dwarka, Dakor, Ambaji, Palitana, Mahudi, Shankheshwar, Somnath, Shamlaji, Bahucharaji, Pavagadh, Kabirvad, Sun Temple, Modhera, Akshardham (Gandhinagar), Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad, Jain temples, Hindu Temples and Sudama Mandir, Ashapura mataji madh- Kutch, Swaminarayan Mandir – Bhuj, Narayan Sarovar, Tulsi Shyam, Sattadhar, Lojpur etc.

Business Tourism in Gujarat

The present day Gujarat is an economically booming state with a number of cities like Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, etc having a strong urban flavour. Malls and multiplexes thrive in the cities which are inhabited by affluent, well-to-do business class Gujaratis.

Gujarat has emerged as one of the most industrialized states in the country and is known as the “Growth Engine of India“. Vibrant Gujarat is a biennial investors’ summit organized by the Gujarat government which is brings together business leaders, investors and policy makers. GIFT, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, is an international-level project which is under construction. Build on 500 acres of land, next to the Sabramati river, it aims at providing world-class infrastructure to finance and tech firms so that they can relocate their operations from already crowded commercial hubs like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, etc.

Gujarat has a lot in store for you. Pack your bags today and embark on a journey that is sure to leave you mesmerized!