Goa eyeing up to 4 lakh arrivals for 4-day Carnival

Goa is targeting up to 4 lakh visitors during the forthcoming Goa Carnival which will be held across the state from February 6 to 9 this year.
"The Goa Carnival is one of the biggest highlights in the state. We have people from all over the world coming for the event," Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar told reporters here today.
Tourism is very important to Goa's economy as it contributes over 20 per cent to the state's GDP, he added.
"We are expecting up to 4 lakh visitors to come to the state during the Goa Carnival 2016. Out of these around 25 to 30 per cent would be foreign tourists and the rest would be domestic tourists," Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) MD Nikhil Desai told PTI.

The festival will feature four float parades in four cities, Panaji, Margao, Vasco and Mapusa, he added.
In addition to the festival GTDC is also organising the annual wine festival, 'Grape Escapade' in the state from February 4 to 7, Desai said.

The state is also aiming over 5.5 million arrivals this year against 4.8 million visitors in 2015, he added.
"Out of these around 5.5 lakh would be foreigners and rest would be from the domestic market," Desai said.
The state government is promoting destination weddings, heritage tourism, adventure tourism, festival tourism and hinterland tourism apart from the beaches of Goa to position the state as a preferred destination, he added.