Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Ola come together to promote responsible tourism and offbeat travel

It’s campaign #GhoomoResponsibly encourages travelers to be responsible tourists, take the road less travelled, and explore hidden gems with convenient inter-city cabs across India

• Also flags off a 14-day road trip with famous actress and vlogger, Shenaz Treasury across some unique locations in Maharashtra and 6 other states in India
• Shenaz explores beach towns and ancient caves in the state

Mumbai, 26th September, 2017: In line with UN’s theme for this year’s World Tourism Day, Ola, India’s most popular mobile app for transportation, and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) have come together to promote and raise awareness about responsible tourism. Other than MTDC, Ola is also working with other key Tourism Corporations of some of the biggest states of the country like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Assam.

Ola has rolled out an exciting 14-day long campaign, which will see famous actress and vlogger Shenaz Treasury travel to 7 states, re-discovering 21 different lesser-known locations, with Ola Outstation – Ola’s smart mobility solution for inter-city travel. The campaign that was flagged off from Bengaluru, Karnataka on 16th September, has now entered its sixth leg with Shenaz arriving in Maharashtra state on 25th September. In Maharashtra, Shenaz will travel to Dahanu and Karla caves, before heading to Assam.

Promoting Responsible Tourism, in line with the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day (27th September), is the common goal for both Ola and MTDC; and hence, have come together to encourage people to plan road trips and unravel many hidden gems in the state that are now easily accessible due to a smart solution like Ola Outstation, as well as spreading the message of keeping the state clean and restoring the heritage and beauty of its various sites and locales.

Shri. Jaykumar Rawal, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra said, “Maharashtra is a very vibrant and dynamic state; and there is a lot for tourists to see. Road trips are particularly famous among the tourists and we would like to applaud Ola for adding ease and convenience to the inter-city travel segment by a progressive solution like Ola Outstation. MTDC has recently launched the ‘visit Maharashtra’ logo to promote the state’s tourism prospects worldwide. Year 2017 has also been tagged as ‘Visit Maharashtra Year’ by the honorable CM Shri Devendra Fadnavis himself, with the aim to invite the world to visit our state and witness the incredible potential that Maharashtra boasts of to become the most preferred destination for both domestic and international tourists. Furthermore, we are happy to partner with Ola in their campaign that will discover many virgin locations like Dahanu and Karla caves in the state and are confident that its success will boost the tourism landscape of the state.”

Last year, Maharashtra ranked 5th for highest number of domestic tourists visiting the state. This year, MTDC expects the state tourism levels to grow at 14% in terms of domestic tourist arrivals as compared to 9% last year. A large number of these tourists visit popular destinations such as Panchgani, Lonavla, Ajanta and Ellora, and Mahabaleshwar. Maharashtra boasts of hundreds of other such destinations that are left unexplored due to accessibility issues and lack of awareness. With this campaign, Ola and MTDC hope to bring these places to light.

Vijay Ghadge, VP of Operations at Ola said, “Maharashtra  is one of the most favoured tourist destinations in India and the government is focused to explore the economic potential of the state. We are thrilled to have been recognized by MTDC for our efforts and are delighted to be chosen to play a significant role in building the tourism ecosystem of the state through Ola Outstation, our inter-city smart commuting solution. With Ola Outstation, we are aiming to make outstation travel as convenient and reliable as daily commute.” He further added, “Our internal research reveals that tourists plan a majority of their outstation trips between September and December. With this campaign, we intend to make those trip more responsible, enjoyable and affordable. It’s an honour to have the opportunity to help citizens experience our country’s rich culture and history to hundreds of thousands of people, using our platform.”

Shenaz Treasury, actress and travel vlogger said, “I have travelled across several countries and continents, but India holds a special place in my heart, every single state has something unique to offer. Being a passionate traveller, I strongly feel that the preservation of our natural and cultural heritage across the country is facing a grave threat. There is now a need more than ever for us to travel consciously, respectfully, and responsibly. From avoiding littering to encouraging local economy, there is a lot each one of us can do that will go a long way in keeping the country’s cultural legacy intact. I am thrilled to partner with Ola, be the flag-bearer of this message, and embark on what I am certain, will be an exciting journey of exploring Maharashtra’s unique cave temples and landscapes by road with Ola Outstation. And, Ola Play in my cab is going to be an excellent travel companion!” Shenaz further adds, “I encourage people to take the road less travelled, explore the abundant offbeat locations. Take road trips, soak in some breathtaking experiences, and enjoy the scenic landscapes that our country has to offer.”

Ola has been working with MTDC to help promote tourism in their prominent cities through categories like Ola Rental and Ola Outstation for intra-city and inter-city travel. In Maharashtra, Ola is also working towards enhancing the offering with additions such as a customized tourist map of the city, curated lists of tourist attractions and things to do, among others. Recently, Ola had launched a unique sub-category – ‘Mumbai Darshan’ under its Rentals offering, for guided city tours to hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting Mumbai every year.

About Ola:

Founded in Jan 2011 by IIT Bombay alumni Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola (formerly Olacabs), is India’s most popular mobile app for personal transportation. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver partners onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent and quick service fulfillment. Ola is committed to its mission of building mobility for a billion people. Using the Ola mobile app, users across 110 cities can book from over 700,000 vehicles across cabs, auto-rickshaws and taxis. Ola has also introduced a range of shared mobility services on its platform like Ola Shuttle and Ola Share for commute and ride-sharing respectively. The app is available on Windows, Android and iOS platforms. Please visit www.olacabs.com/media for more information.

For additional details, please contact:

Vatsala Hali | media@olacabs.com | +91 8861629562