Agonda ranked no. 1 in India, Cavelossim is third
SHWETA KAMAT
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PANJIM: Two Goan beaches figure among Asia’s 25 best beaches with Agonda ranked number one in India and number two in Asia, while Cavelossim is ranked number three in India and seventh in Asia.
The Radhanagar beach in Havelock Island has been ranked number two in India and fourth in Asia.
Travel portal—TripAdvisor– announced this at their 2013 Travellers’ Choice Beaches Awards, based on feedback from millions of TripAdvisor travellers. 276 top beaches were selected from around the world, including 25 from India.
“It is a great moment….the beach belt being in the interior remained neglected and lesser known amongst tourists all these years, even though it is one of the cleanest beaches with less pollution,” Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar told Herald.
Admitting that though in the last couple of years the state saw a large number of tourists coming to the state, Parulekar said “These tourists were basically budget tourists”, adding, “The government is now working on a proposal to develop the beach belt with necessary infrastructure facilities thereby increasing the number of tourists. Parulekar promising that by December 2013, the infrastructure would be put in place.
Agonda beach located in Canacona taluka, began to attract tourists hardly 10 years ago, after the cost of living in Palolem became expensive. The beach is also a protected turtle nesting site.
Three more beaches from Goa have made it to the TripAdvisor list of best 25 beaches in Asia- Mandrem (ranked 16), Baga (17) and Candolim (24).
The Travellers’ Choice Beaches Awards are based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor gathered over a 12-month period since 2012 awards.
Our Canacona correspondent adds: On hearing the news acting village sarpanch Pramod Phaldessai was ecstatic. “This is the finest day for us and a proud moment for all my villagers, because it reflects our people’s hospitality to visitors and tourists to our tiny village,” he said.
‘The credit for this should go to all tourism stakeholders, right from shack operators to taxi operators and even even plastic-garbage pickers engaged by the panchayat to keep the beach clean and approachable”, Phaldessai added.
Former sarpanch Jovi Fernandes joined hands with Phaldessai to demand removal of the turtle nesting beach tag. They sought amenities such as free beach access, changing rooms, toilet facilities, tourist counters, parking-points, etc at the Agonda beach.
