Goa Tourism to go online for tourists' convenience

Goa Tourism would soon launch an e-commerce site to enable domestic and foreign tourists book online their board and lodging as well as activities like adventure and water sports, music festival tickets, restaurants and river cruises.

A mobile app on android and iOS platforms is also expected to follow soon, along with a 12-hour call centre service, with an option of Interactive Voice Response System booking through international credit and debit cards.

"It is an opportunity for the locals to generate revenue through this portal, making it beneficial both for Goa residents and tourists. The suppliers will need to register under the GTDC web portal to get an opportunity to market their products and services," Goa Tourism Development Corporation chairman Nilesh Cabral told reporters here on Saturday.

The content on the website and the app will be in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, German and French languages, in addition to Hindi and English.

"Our aim is to register and build a world-wide database of agents interested in Goa and integrate it with the existing data. Also, managing partnerships with hotels, tour operators, activity providers and other service providers in Goa will be administered through the website," he said.

Goa, a top beach and nightlife tourism destination in the country, attracts over three million tourists every year, out of which half a million are foreigners.