Eager to maneuver past its status as a weekend escape for drinkers from dry Gujarat, the administration is exploring a dramatic shift: a plan to lease out the Sixteenth-century Portuguese-built Diu Fort for vacation spot weddings and rebranding the seashore city as a family-friendly retreat.
“Diu will quickly be Goa minus the on line casino and nightlife,” Diu collector Rahul Dev Boora informed ET. “Each Diu and Goa share a Portuguese legacy, however for vacationers looking for a household getaway, Diu will all the time have the sting.”
He stated the administration is growing two promenades, a ropeway and new roads to reinforce the attraction of this 40 sq km tiny coastal enclave, a part of the Union Territory of Daman and Diu.
“We’re planning to hire out Fort Diu for weddings and large occasions. With Taj (Accommodations) set to handle three authorities properties as upscale inns – together with our Circuit Home, which is already operational underneath its Ginger model – Diu will quickly have ample luxurious lodging to cater to its high-end vacationers,” he stated.
A curious pattern, nevertheless, defines Diu’s tourism – extra home guests come for the day than those that keep the night time. Official figures obtainable with the district administration reveal that in 2024, the seashore city welcomed 379,000 home vacationers and 1,392 international guests. But, a further 402,000 home vacationers arrived solely to go away by sunset, a sample largely pushed by drinkers from dry Gujarat flocking to its shores.Now, the administration desires to rewrite that narrative, nudging Diu towards a vacation spot the place guests keep longer, not simply go via.Yatin Fugro, president of the Diu Hotel Association and proprietor of Azzaro Resort and Kohinoor, calls the city a quintessential weekend getaway the place “resort occupancy peaks on Saturdays”. “The tourism coverage ought to deal with attracting high quality travellers to Diu, one among India’s cleanest districts. We want accountable vacationers who respect our seashores, not those that depart them littered,” he stated, emphasising the necessity for longer runways and night-landing amenities to reinforce accessibility.
Fugro is blunt concerning the sort of guests Diu might do with out. “The ‘sharab peene wala (liquor drinker) crowd’ brings little worth to our economic system or tourism,” he stated.
In keeping with collector Boora, a direct flight between Goa and Diu is ready to take off this month, with one other path to Delhi within the pipeline.
For now, Diu depends on direct flights from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Surat, whereas day by day helicopter companies bridge the 650-km highway hole between Daman and Diu.
“We’re within the strategy of buying land to broaden the airport’s runway,” Boora stated. “As soon as prolonged, bigger plane will be capable to land right here.”
Mukeshbhai, a Rajkot-based driver who continuously ferries vacationers to Diu, stated many guests heading to Somnath Temple (90 km away) and Gir Forests (70 km away) make it a degree to cease by the seashore city. “However the roads right here have been underneath building for years,” he sighed. “Diu remains to be a city of cranes.”