World famous 'Rann Utsav' begins in Gujarat's Kutch, advance bookings full till December

Tent city is the main attraction of this year's Rann Utsav with the annual festival to highlight environmental conservation throug the use of eco-friendly material.

Kutch: The annual world famous Rann Utsav festival kicked off on monday in the Kutch region of Gujarat with organisers expecting huge rush of tourists during the festival, officials said. This year's Rannotsav festival is scheduled to run till February 25 as per officials. Rann Utsav is organized every year by Gujarat Tourism in Kutch.

An official said that the Tent City is the main attraction of Rann Utsav this year. Like every year, this year too tent city is the main attraction in Rann Utsav. This year around 350 tents have been set up with the court and royal tents to be the center of attraction for tourists. An official said that advance booking for the festival is full till December.

The official said that programs that accurately reflect the art and culture of Kutch are being held this year to attract tourists. Stalls have also been set up to sell various handicrafts of Kutch. Rann Utsav, which started from today, has received an overwhelming response from tourists. Apart from India, foreign tourists have also started to arrive in the region to enjoy the festival.

Significantly, the road stretch from Dholavira to the White Desert of Kutch has been listed as a World Heritage Site, which is expected to be a big boost to the Gujarat tourism in general and Rann Utsav in particular. Amit Gupta Manager, Rann Utsav Tentcity, Kutch said that this year Ranotsav and Tentcity have highlighted the importance of environment and its conservation.

Accordingly, minimal use of plastic has been made throughout the festival site, he said. “Wood is being used everywhere instead of plastic. The use of plastic has been reduced to give the message of environmental protection. Apart from this, the number of bicycles and electric vehicles has been increased,” he added.

Significantly, Dhordo in Kutch region has recently been awarded the Best Tourism Village award by the United Nations, which is expected to boost the tourist footfall for the Rann Utsav.