Mumbai, April 7 A festival organized to showcase the tourism potential and cultural heritage of Maharashtra's Satara district attracted over 1.5 lakh visitors in just five days, prompting the state government to extend the event by three days.
The five-day 'Koyna Daulat Dongri Festival 2026', which began on April 2, was organized in Patan, Satara district, by Maharashtra Tourism in collaboration with the local administration and the Regional Tourism Directorate, Pune, to boost tourism in the region, an official said on Tuesday.
The festival in the western Maharashtra district witnessed impressive footfalls and attracted over 1.5 lakh visitors. This prompted the state government to extend the festival by three more days (until April 9), he said.
Encouraged by the popularity of the festival, Maharashtra Tourism plans to launch another event on similar lines, the Koyna Backwater Festival, in December-January.
"Festivals like the Koyna Daulat Dongri Festival play a very important role in developing the tourism infrastructure in Maharashtra, as they combine cultural heritage with emerging tourism offerings in one package. Apart from promoting lesser-known tourist destinations such as Patan, events of this kind help establish Maharashtra as a tourist destination with wide appeal across the country and beyond," said Dr B N Patil, Director, Directorate of Maharashtra Tourism.
The success witnessed at the Koyna Daulat Dongri Festival shows the increasing popularity of tourism of multiple kinds, such as rural, cultural, and adventure, in the state, said Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Neelesh Gatne.
"Such festivals serve to recognize talents present in a region and offer sustainable economic growth opportunities to the local community. Moving forward, we aim to replicate and launch similar initiatives to further strengthen Maharashtra's position as a diverse and experience-driven tourism destination," Gatne maintained.
