PANJIM: Often under criticism over unnecessary foreign trips, records indicate that Goa Tourism officials travelled to not less than 30 foreign destinations through a total 33 trips made in the name of tourism promotion since year 2012. As per data tabled in the just concluded winter session of the Legislative Assembly, the State government revealed that a maximum 18 trips were made in the year 2013 alone.
Be it Paris, Moscow, St Petersburg, Lisbon, London, Hungary, Denmark, Amsterdam, Berlin, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Malaysia, Spain, Austria or Tokyo; our tourism officials flew to as many places across different countries to participate in international marts and road shows.
While the tourism department justifies that repeated visits and sustained campaign will attract huge investment to the internationally-acclaimed tourist destination, the government came under scathing attack of the opposition who argued foreign tours were just not necessary. Ex-Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told the Assembly that with Goa already a brand, its marketing should be restricted to only certain countries where it has to make its mark.
Call it a coincidence or rectification move, the State government has banned all foreign tours ahead of the State budget 2016-17. “There is a ban on all foreign visits for study tours, seminars, conferences, workshops, including that of promotion of industry, trade, tourism, etc. However, foreign tours already approved are exempted from the directions,” a recent notification reads.
In another development, the tourism department expects an increase in US tourists to Goa that hitherto is limited to only Russia and Britain. “There is a need to diversify into new markets in order to reduce dependence of the State on tourist arrivals from limited traditional source markets. There is a great potential to attract tourists from US to Goa as US tourists comprise the highest number of tourists visiting India,” a reply tabled in the House read as.
“In 2014, an approximately 10 lakh tourists from US visited India. Hence, Goa Tourism feels that there is a good potential to increase inflow of tourists from the US in the coming years given the fact that US tourists are eligible for e-tourist visa.”
Goa has received an increasing number of US arrivals in the last three years with 2012 recording 8,970 US nationals visiting the State, followed by 9,502 and 9,979 in the years 2013 and 2014 respectively.
