In today’s era, the magical land of Goa is beyond sun, sea and sand. The Department of tourism Goa is taking a slew of forward-looking initiatives and has signed MoUs to make the state into an all-round tourism destination.
In a world where health and wellness are at the forefront of our concerns, it comes as really exciting news when Goa Tourism has taken a premier, major initiative to focus on Evolving Goa and Regenerative Tourism at Goa International Travel Mart (GITM) 2024 held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa from April 3 to 4, 2024. This is incidentally the first global travel mart of Goa Tourism in the post-pandemic times and is all out to set a trend in the realm of regenerative tourism by emphasizing on sustainable travelling, exploring new destinations, conserving the destination and leaving a positive impact on the destination.
The grand inauguration of GITM took off at Bay 15 Seaside Resort, Dona Paula, a day before the Travel mart with the traditional lamp lighting ceremony. Inaugurating the mart, Suneel Anchipaka, IAS, Director, Tourism and Managing Director, Goa Tourism Development Corporation informed, “We intend to boost Goa as a premier tourism destination with the best of connectivity. The iconic destination of Goa requires no introduction and entices around 9 million domestic travellers from all over the country. We are looking ahead to lure high-end travellers by showcasing premier tourism getaways, enhancing the image of the state as a popular destination and flaunting diverse tourism products. Goa has received the ET Travel Award 2023 for being the “Best State for Tourism”. The state has drawn up the Goa Tourism Master Plan to develop tourism in a sustainable way that would entice quality tourists. The state has Regenerative tourism, the first-of-its-kind in the country aimed to preserve its rich natural wonders and to ensure that the future generation can enjoy the beauty of the land. The state government is making collective efforts to develop the state beyond beaches and making a plastic-free ecosystem. Our focus extends beyond promotion and preserving our local culture. Based on the concept of ‘Goa beyond beaches’, the state government is concentrating on spiritual tourism, hinterland exploration and diverse experiences beyond our famed beaches.” Besides, the state has bagged the “Destination of the Year” award at the PATWA International Travel awards at ITB Berlin this year.
The travel mart had a host of interesting discussions and sessions including “New Vision: Strategy, Branding and Promotion” and “Goa: A High Yield Destination”. Anchipaka said, “Goa is a perfect destination for eco-tourism and is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. The state tourism is offering a fillip to Veerbhadra festival and Shigmo, the annual festival of the state. The hamlet of Cotigao has been declared as the “Best Tourism Village” of India last year.” The award is hosted by the Central Nodal Agency for Rural Tourism and Rural Homestay under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Tourism.
The state is among the few states in the country to come up with Goa Tourism Board with around 50 per cent participation from the private players and presided by the Chief Minister and co-presided by the state tourism minister. Anchipaka further said, “We are focusing on making the state into a significant spiritual tourism destination and developing Ponda replete with age-old shrines as a part of Dakshin Kashi circuit.” In an attempt to bridge the travel gap between Uttar Kashi and Dakshin Kashi and to entice more travellers into the state, plans are on to bolster the air connectivity from the new Mopa Airport to Dehradun, Nagpur and Guwahati.
Anchipaka added, “In a significant move to popularize hinterland tourism, the state government will roll out the first-of-a-kind wellness destination centre at Anjunem-Keri in North Goa. Keeping with the Goa Tourism Policy 2020 that emphasizes nature-based tourism with ecologically sustainable and sound environmental practices, this will be the premier eco-tourism venture of the Department of tourism.”
When we think of Goa, the first thing that strikes the mind is beaches but Goa has transformed beyond beaches. Anchipaka explained, “We have to bring into the concept of tourists and stakeholders that Goa is beyond beaches. There are seven wildlife sanctuaries in the state and natural assets that need to be safeguarded. It’s time to explore other attractions in Goa beyond beaches. One needs to explore the culture, cuisine and hamlets. Beaches have different cultures than the locals residing in hamlets. We are trying to highlight heritage tourism, bring travellers and showcase the culture of the land.”
Goa is endowed with seas, mountains, forests and hinterland. Ralph de Sousa, Group Chairman, de Souza Group Tourism and Estate Development said, “The state has 250 km of navigable rivers. The state prides itself on having tantalizing multi-cuisine delights including Portuguese, monsoon and tribal. The lesser-known Goan chillies, cashew nuts, Mandovi bananas and Goan feni deserve mention.”
Most luxury, five-star properties have convention centres in the state. Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon has one of the largest convention facilities. “We have several wetlands that draw scores of migratory birds. A plethora of travellers visit the state for experiential tourism. We are accentuating rural markets and are trying to transform the Portuguese-era bungalows into homestays this year. Nearly 500 buyers have registered with us and we have engagements with our buyers in virtual mode. We have the most number of global buyers from the European destinations,” further added Anchipaka. The state has a pink police force all across tourist destinations for the safety of travellers.
The state has two airports- Dabolim International Airport and Mopa Airport. “Nearly 3 million travellers flew down to the state till March 31, this year,” signed off Anchipaka.
Several significant MoUs were signed at the travel mart. The Department of tourism, Goa and All India Institute of Ayurveda, Goa headed by the Ministry of Ayush signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities for boosting wellness and medical tourism in the state. The Department of tourism, Goa signed another MoU with MasterCard to augment inbound and domestic tourism in the state with the help of MasterCard’s priceless India platform. To position Goa as a 365º holistic tourism destination and to highlight the varied cultural, historic and natural attractions, the Department of tourism, Goa entered into a strategic partnership with Just Udo Aviation Private Limited.
Add to these, the department of tourism, Goa entered into a tie-up with Yoska Events Solutions LLP to provide a thrust to sports tourism in the region and offer unlimited options in the realm of adventure and explorations.
Swaati Chaudhury
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