Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) is all set to review its ambitious helicopter ride and duck tour projects that ran aground owing to various reasons.
In 2016, GTDC had introduced helicopter rides from the helipad at Fort Aguada at North Goa. However, the project was stopped due to the opposition from locals and was later shifted to South Goa and was operated from helipad of a starred hotel. Due to logistic issue the facility was discontinued in 2017.
Similarly, in November, 2016, GTDC introduced the duck tour, a first in India. The amphibious vessels that use to take passenger over land and water, the project also run into rough weather due to certain environmental rules and regulations.
“We have now decided to review both the projects. By next tourism season, both the initiatives should be in place full-fledged,” GTDC Managing Director Nikhil Desai told media persons responding to a question over the failures of new tourism initiatives.
He said that as far as duck tours are concerned, the investors backed out due to delay on part of Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to notify the project as inland or road way. “Now, we are in talks with the investors,” he said.
For helipad also, a new site at Old Goa is identified and GTDC is in talks with Pawan Hans for operation of the same.
