Goa is looking to promote its rich and diversified tourism products and offerings beyond beach holidays, as the Indian state seeks to stem the continued haemorrhage of visitors in the wake of the collapse of Thomas Cook UK which used to bring around 50,000 tourists to the destination.
The UK is the second-largest source market for Goa, after Russia.
As part of its marketing efforts, the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) recently organised a fam trip for inbound tour operators across the globe to showcase the state’s various tourism offerings beyond beaches.
The GTDC also plans to launch a marketing campaign spotlighting its diverse offerings, on top of participating in domestic and international trade shows to promote Goa as a destination for adventure, eco-tourism, MICE, heritage, and medical tourism activities.
“Goa has been a preferred destination for domestic and international tourists. However, some tourists have the perception that Goa is just about the sun, sea, and sand. We want to dispel such notions and assert that Goa has much more to offer than beaches,” said Nikhil Desai, managing director, GTDC.
“Goa has a lot to offer for adventure tourism, like hot air ballooning, bungy jumping, and scuba diving. One can also enjoy white water rafting during the monsoon season. We are also strengthening our offerings on the wellness and MICE front.”
A new promotional video showcasing the diversity of tourism products in Goa was launched on the sidelines of the three-day Goa International Travel Mart 2019 that took place in October last year.
As well, the state will be developing an Ayurveda cum Yoga centre in Farmagudi under the public-private partnership model. A tender in this regard seeking expressions of interest from private players has already been floated. To cater to corporate travellers, discussions are ongoing for a new state-of-the-art convention centre in Dona Paula.
“We are also looking to introduce heli tourism in the state. We will be organising media fam trips and utilising social media platforms to create awareness about the richness and diversity of tourism experiences in Goa. Our focus is on attracting high-quality visitors to Goa,” said Desai.
