TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The State government expects to attract seven million tourists in the ensuing tourist season while it also hopes to touch the 9-10 million tourists mark before the 2017 State assembly elections.
Speaking to Herald on the sidelines after launching the hot air balloon and amphibious vehicle on Saturday, Tourism Minister, Dilip Parulekar said several tourism attractions are capable of attracting seven million tourists in 2015-16. Moreover, it will target countries like Poland, Kazakhstan and certain parts of Europe aside from the regular ones.
“We can easily get seven million tourists in the coming season. We have already touched six million this year,” Parulekar said. “The commencement of the amphibious vehicle and hot air balloon services, and two more – sea planes and helicopter tourism scheduled for launch in six months and the e-visa facility will increase the influx of tourists to Goa.”
Later, while addressing a press conference, the minister stated that since March 2012 – when the BJP-led coalition formed the government in the State, tourism has grown 12 per cent and it expects to touch 9-10 million tourists’ arrivals before the State goes to polls in 2017.
“Before the end of our (government) tenure, we will increase the arrivals to 15 per cent. The tourism arrival has been on the rise,” he added.
Chief Minister, Laxmikant Parsekar, also present at the briefing after inaugurating the ‘Paryatan Bhavan’ in the presence of the tourism minister, Chief Secretary R K Srivastava and GTDC Chairman Nilesh Cabral among others at Patto, said tourism along with industries and agriculture could replace the loss generated by the mining ban.
“The State was in a huge crisis after the blanket ban on mining. But, besides the industry sector, tourism has done a lot. Agriculture, horticulture and floriculture are options too to generate revenue for the State,” he said, adding, “our attempt is to restore regulated and legal mining. There are two views that mining will start in the near future.”
