In 2012-13, the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, witnessed a record arrival of 27.8 lakh tourist of which 4.5 lakh were foreigners, showing an increase of 4.4 per cent in the inflow. The government is now focusing on new markets such as South East Asia, Australia, USA and New Zealand.
Nikhil Desai, Director of Tourism, Goa said, “To further increase international as well as domestic tourist arrivals into Goa, the state government has decided to take up 18 places of tourist interest for the beautification in 2013-2014. We feel this will help us diversify our product offerings and cater to all kinds of tourists. Tourism development is a top priority for the Government of Goa. We want to explore new source markets and to support our efforts, we have recently designated 14 project management consultants for preparation of detail project report, drawings, plans, etc for upgradation and development of places of tourist importance.”
He further added, “With the government approving a multi-crore restoration and revitalisation plan, it will go a long way in developing local infrastructure for tourism. The proposal for beautification of tourist areas in Porvorim is under consideration. Saligao has high tourism potential and is adjacent to the developed tourist belt of Calangute and Candolim and hence has been accorded priority.”
Speaking about their marketing and promotional strategy, he informed, “We have recently rolled out a new marketing strategy. We will soon be releasing advertisements in print and electronic media in India and abroad.” As a part of their new strategy, the tourism department will continue to participate in domestic and international events such as road shows and trade fairs. “Apart from the usual one, we have also explored the social media platform. We will soon be appointing a brand consultant to develop brand architecture, work out creative options and implement a brand strategy for Goa tourism.”
