PANAJI
The government’s repeated claim to woo tourists from new international markets does not seem to have materialized, given that although Goa has been unsuccessful in attracting impressive footfalls from certain countries, these places remain on the list of its annual agenda for tourism promotion.
In pursuit to garner arrivals from these countries, the State has already incurred expenses exceeding Rs 8 crores in around a year and a half.
The six international trips to Portugal, Singapore, Madrid-Spain, Lisbon-Portugal, Berlin-Germany and Moscow-Russia in the last financial year saw the government spending over Rs 5.75 crore towards ‘Space booking Charges and space booking paid to organizers.’
Each of the three international travel marts alone cost the State exchequer over Rs 1 crore, with a combined expense of approximately Rs 3,52,28,583, excluding other official expenses.
In the current financial year, road shows were held in Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna, and Paris, with expenses amounting to around Rs 2.03 crore whereas the Dubai tour’s bills, amounting to Rs 93,01,814, are under process.
“Foreign tours are undertaken for promotion of Goa,” Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said in reply to an unstarred question by MLA Viresh Borkar.
The minister has often emphasized exploring new international markets to reduce dependence on Goa’s traditional markets “ Russia and UK.
High spending Russians are visiting Dubai instead of Goa and there was a need to study why this has happened, he said.
Goa should emulate destinations like Saudi Arabia, which is developing after introducing new tourism services and different kind of projects, he said, adding that the coastal state has the opportunity to increase footfalls with the commissioning of Manohar International Airport at Mopa, which is its second airport.
Khaunte had recently stated that experts have identified potential markets for Goa such as the USA, South Korea, Japan, the Middle East, Asia, Germany, and the UAE, interested in outbound tourism. To tap these markets, the Goa tourism department is looking at taking part in road shows and travel marts.
The State must strive for quality rather than quantity when it comes to tourist footfalls, and Kerala is one such success story that Goa should learn from, Khaunte said.
Responding to a question by Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar, the minister said Goa is participating in domestic travel shows to promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative of ''Dekho Apna Desh''.
NAUTICAL TOURISM: Khaunte said Goa’s nautical tourism policy will be in place soon which will take care of cruise ships, since the aim is to increase their numbers taking advantage of the proximity of port and airport at Vasco.
