MAPUSA
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said that Goa and Portugal will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Tourism and Information Technology (IT) in bid to explore best practices and innovative technologies to bring better tourism experiences in the State.
“Goa and Portugal will collaborate and exchange ideas regarding the growth of tourism, building demand for the two countries and a startup ecosystem. We will also explore a wide range of joint possibilities in the hospitality and tourism industry,” Khuante said.
The tourism minister who is in Portugal and attending the Bolsa Turismo Lisboa Travel Mart 2023 in Lisbon met Portugal’s Minister of the Economy and Maritime Affairs Antonio Costa Silva and held in-depth discussions in the field of Tourism and IT.
Both the leaders had talks on wide ranging topics and also discussed the possibility of collaborating in the tourism sector.
“Goa and Portugal will collaborate and share ideas, knowledge and soon sign a MoU in Tourism and IT,” Khaunte said.
He also had a series of meetings with various stakeholders while promoting Goa’s Tourism potential in Portugal.
He expressed confidence that the meetings will promote quality tourism between Goa and Portugal and help Goa Tourism widen its scope in Europe.
The Tourism Minister met MasterCard’s Quim MartÃnez Bosch, Vice President Global Tourism Innovation Hub and explored the possibilities of sharing technologies in the tourism sector.
He said different aspects of Innovative Practices in Travel Technology and targeting high yield buyers were also discussed in a meeting with Ramón Sánchez Alvarez, the head of Strategic Projects at Amadeus IT Group.
Indian Ambassador in Portugal Manish Chauhan also met Khaunte and shared insights regarding business and investment possibilities between India and Portugal in the field of Tourism and IT.
The minister also had talks with Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO at TAP Group, Portugal on the possibility of increasing air connectivity between Portugal and Goa even as talks were held with World 2 Meet Travel and HiFly on exploring new flights into Goa.
He met Nuno Fazenda, State Secretary for Tourism & Commerce for Portugal and explored a wide range of joint possibilities in the hospitality and tourism industry between the two countries.
"The visit to Portugal was very fruitful. We explored many opportunities during different meetings with stakeholders for the growth of the Tourism and IT sectors in Goa,” Khaunte said.
The Tourism Minister is expected to arrive in the State on Thursday.
