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Goa Tourism Dept., TTAG to conceive new tourism campaign for state

Slew of initiatives on the cards to revive state's image

ANDREA LOPEZ - Mumbai

Ralph De Souza

Bruised by a string of unfortunate incidents in the state, the Department of Tourism and the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) are in the process of introducing new directives that it hopes will restore the state's discoloured image. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Ralph De Souza, president TTAG, said, "The incidents of violence against foreigners are being taken very seriously. In the case reported in Benaulim involving a Russian woman, the government has for the first time gone up to the Supreme Court to fight granting of bail of the accused." Meanwhile, to curb instances of drowning, Drishti Special Response Services (DSRS), the beach-safety managment company, which patrols the coast, will extend its duties till midnight. In addition, a booklet containing dos and don'ts for visitors has been printed and the booklet is being made available at hotels and airports.

The state also plans to roll out a fresh tourism campaign soon. "TTAG and the Department of Tourism will soon develop a new campaign suitable to the market." Asked whether the campaign would look at targeting a particular segment of the market, De Souza said, "There are over 33,000 rooms in Goa, out of which 10,000 are in the unorganised sector. We have every class of tourists visiting Goa and would like it to remain this way."

An act to create an additional 4,000-5,000 rooms through homestays has been drafted and suggests subsidies and marketing initiatives to encourage homestays. Additionally, the issue of licensing of hotels is being looked at seriously. Says De Souza, "A survey has been conducted from Baga to Calangute, identifying haphazard development along this stretch. A special grading commission has been set up with members from the industry to inspect properties. This will help to a great extent in maintaining standards."

In addition, the state is looking at opening up its eco tourism offering. "The thickest tropical green forests are in the Western Ghats and we are looking to promote this through treks, farms, etc. An eco tourism cell has been set up for the same." Also, to tap the 500 kms of navigable rivers presently being used by barges, there are plans to set up hop-on hop-off boat ride facilities.

Enhanced air connectivity has also benefited the state immensely. "In the mid nineties, 80 per cent of foreigners who came to Goa arrived through charters, today that has changed to 50 per cent charter arrivals and 50 per cent scheduled flights. Qatar Airways would be commencing its daily Goa-Doha flight, which would offer excellent onward connections. The improved air connectivity in recent times has increased the number of FITs visiting Goa," he said. In addition, since the present airport at Dabolim is saturated, the Navy is due to allocate 10 acres of additional land for civilian purposes. The new airport, which will be developed at Mopa on the PPP model has also recently been allotted an additional 50 crores and is expected to be up and running within the next five years, despite the initial bottlenecks it ran into.

"Goa has one of the highest number of repeat clientele; 40 per cent and they have kept the brand strong despite the unfortunate incidents. Goa is grouped under the long haul winter destination category for the western market and we compete with West Africa, Egypt, Islands of the Indian Ocean and the Far East. When compared to these destinations, Goa is much safer," explained De Souza.