The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has launched a social media campaign on ‘safe selfies’ at beaches, forts, cliffs, deep valleys, and other destinations frequented by tourists, especially youngsters.
The move comes in the wake of several accidents reported across the state, and a directive from the State government to the collectors of 36 districts to immediately put up public notices at the risky locations.
Officials said the corporation has also requested the Collectors to shortlist dangerous tourist spots, display warning notices, and mark out safe areas from where tourists can get better angles.
The drive will involve the MTDC’s social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and its website. Some of the punch lines designed for the campaign are ‘My selfie is a safe selfie’, ‘Let this selfie not be your last selfie’, and ‘A safe selfie is worth more than a selfie visited’.
“Accidents have been reported from across the world. So, our social media messages will caution tourists about the dangers of a careless selfie. We want to focus on beaches,” Paraag Jaiin Nainjuttia, managing director of MTDC, told The Hindu .
Incidents have been reported in Mumbai, Alibaug, Nasik, Nagpur, and Goa over the past few months where youngsters suffered injuries or lost their lives. A 17-year-old college student was swept away at opposite Taj Land’s End at Bandra when she was clicking selfies with two of her college mates.
In February, five tourists including two women, suffered injuries when they fell off a cliff while taking selfies at Anjuna village in Goa. The police said a gate they were leaning against suddenly opened throwing them off balance. In February, a college student drowned in Waldevi dam near Ghoti in Nashik.
