PANJIM: Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) president Jack Sukhija has said that there is a need to really work hard to attract foreign tourists to the State.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “We should really work hard to attract foreign tourists. It is like earning foreign exchange. If you get that it is surplus money in the economy. It’s good, it percolates all over. We will have to have a proper strategy to get international tourists.”
Sukhija said as far as the arrival of foreign tourists is concerned, there have been some improvements, but it is still a long way to go.
“There is a need to work on infrastructure work. The government has done some work, connectivity has improved, but last mile connectivity is still a problem. Everything is good in Goa whether it is accommodation or food, but the problem comes on two fronts. One transport at the last level and cleanliness,” he said.
The TTAG president said foreign tourists are coming to the State, but still it is far behind, not like pre-Covid season.
“It is like saying 15 per cent is full or 85 per cent is empty. Revenge travel has started, but there are two emerging markets- Turkey and Mexico. They are getting 60 million tourists and 50 million tourists respectively every year. Considering this, India is still quite low, which gets around eight to ten million tourists. If you see the growth, Albania, Saudi Arabia and Bulgaria have been growing at 100 to 140 per cent,” he said.
He said, “We are hopeful as far as the upcoming season is concerned, because people are travelling more, but we will have to work on cleanliness and roads which are in pathetic condition.”
