Goa Tourism

Taxi operators' strike at Mopa airport to continue; meeting with CM fails

A proposed meeting between protesting tourist taxi operators attached to the new international airport at Mopa in Goa and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant did not materialise on Friday afternoon, with the latter terming their agitation politically motivated. The taxi operators from Manohar International Airport at Mopa have been protesting since Thursday, pressing for their various demands, including complete stoppage of illegal transport at this greenfield airport, operated by GMR Goa International Airport Limited. The agitation was expected to be resolved on Friday afternoon after CM Sawant invited a delegation of the taxi operators to meet him at his official residence at Altinho in Panaji. Around 25 agitators went to meet the CM but were denied permission. Officials asked them to come with 8-10 members, said Chetan Kamat, a leader of the taxi operators. The protesters demanded that the entire delegation be allowed to meet the CM, or else the meeting should be cancelled, he said. K

Goa, MakeMyTrip ink pact to promote state's culture, sustainable tourism

The Goa government and online travel firm MakeMyTrip on Thursday signed an agreement to promote the state's cultural heritage and culinary traditions to make it into a year-round destination, moving beyond the sun, sand and beaches, according to a statement. As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a public-private partnership, MakeMyTrip will highlight the state's inland cultural richness and culinary traditions, which usually take a back seat to popular coastal attractions by curating a cultural map of Goa, pushing various initiatives to promote the multi-faceted state, the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, and MakeMyTrip said in a joint statement. "Our collective vision of 'Goa Beyond Beaches' is to bring the hidden splendours of the state to the forefront, celebrate its rich cultural heritage, take tourism to the hinterlands of Goa and ensure sustainable and regenerative tourism practices that preserve our natural resources for generations to come. Our partnership ..

Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Hamas conflict hit tourist inflow to Goa: Minister

The Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing conflict in West Asia involving Israel have shrunk the regular inflow of tourists to Goa from these countries, state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has said. He was speaking to reporters here on Wednesday on the sidelines of the launch of Goa's new initiatives for boosting tourism in the coastal state. Russia, Ukraine and Israel are the three counties from where Goa gets a sizeable number of tourists, he said. "The crisis in which these counties are involved has shrunk the regular inflow of tourists to Goa," the minister said. Elaborating on how Goa is trying to overcome the vacuum created by this, he said, "If you go by the absolute number of tourists that visited Goa in the last one year, it is higher compared to the previous year. It indicates that domestic tourists are filling the vacuum." However, it cannot be ignored that international tourists on an average stay in Goa for eight days, while the average stay of domestic tourists is four

Kejriwal to embark on Goa visit to assess AAP's readiness for LS polls

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will embark on a two-day visit of Goa on January 11 to assess the AAP's preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, party sources said. Kejriwal, the AAP's national convenor, will also hold meetings with party workers during his visit, they added. "The two-day Goa visit is for assessing the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. He will also interact with party workers," a source said. Kejriwal was in Gujarat on January 7-8 during which he held public meetings and met jailed party leader Chaitar Vasava. He also announced Vasava as the party's candidate from the Bharuch constituency.

Goa poised to become nurturing ground for startup creativity: IT minister

The Goa government will introduce a number of initiatives to provide support to startups as the state is poised to become a nurturing ground for startup creativity, a minister has said. Addressing the closing ceremony of three-day-long Tech Media Startup 2023 event on Thursday, Goa Information Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte also said the government's aim is to position the state as a premier startup destination in Asia. "Goa, with its vibrant spirit, is poised to become a nurturing ground for startup creativity. In the coming months, we will introduce a spectrum of initiatives to further catalyse business growth and provide startups with the support they need," he said. "Under the leadership of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the aim is to position Goa as a premier startup destination in Asia...The state's unique blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage and burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit sets the stage for the convergence of startups and information technology," he said. The

Goa govt starts giving provisional NOCs for installation of beach shacks

Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Thursday said they have initiated the process of installation of beach shacks in the state and started giving provisional No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for it to the shack owners. The tourist season has already started in Goa and there has been a delay in putting up shacks after the state environment department delayed in ascertaining the carrying capacity of beaches (for shacks), Khaunte told PTI. The environment department has recommended that 364 shacks can be erected on various stretches of beaches in the coastal state, he said. We have already initiated the process of erecting beach shacks. The department is giving provisional NOCs to the shack owners, Khaunte said. The tourism department earlier set November 17 as the deadline for paying shack licence fees. But there was a request from shack owners to extend the deadline. The department has extended the deadline to accept the payments till November 25, the minister said. It is import

Goa govt makes it mandatory for shacks to sell its staple 'fish curry-rice'

Shacks on Goa's beaches will now have to mandatorily serve 'fish curry-rice', a staple of the coastal state, along with other Indian and international cuisines, state tourism minister Rohan Khaunte has said. The compulsory inclusion of the coconut-based preparation, savoured for its tangy and spicy taste, in the menu is part of the state's new Shack Policy that aims to promote the Goan cuisine, the minister said on Sunday. Till now, shacks along the shoreline offered North Indian food, but Goan dishes were not available at these places, he said. The government has now made it compulsory for shacks to "display and serve" the Goan food, including 'fish curry-rice', he said. "We have to project our rich cuisine to tourists, Khaunte said. He said the Shack Policy, which was recently passed by the cabinet, also intends to address the challenge of illegal hawking and vending on beaches. Many women, involved in illegal hawking and vending on beaches, would pretend to be working at the s

G20 events will boost tourism sector further in Goa: CM Pramod Sawant

The G20 events hosted in Goa has offered the coastal state an opportunity to showcase its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage to the world which will boost its tourism sector in the long run, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said. Dubbed as 'Pearl of the Orient', Goa's scenic beaches, sunny skies and sand draw tourists by hordes from various parts of the country and abroad. The coastal state just hosted two back-to-back crucial G20 events -- fourth Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting (June 19-20) and Tourism Ministerial meeting (June 21 -22), taking the total number of G20 meetings hosted so far in Goa to seven, while two more G20 events are slated to take place here in July. "We are hosting altogether nine meetings of the G20, Sawant said in an interaction on the sidelines of the meetings. Addressing a gathering of G20 delegates here in the inaugural session of the fourth and final TWG meeting of the influential bloc, he said the crucial meeting would ensure in shaping a ...

As Goa loses tourists to Malvan, state police cracks down on touts

Facing the menace of touts who loot and harass the tourists visiting the coastal state, the Goa police have focused on eradicating the illegal parallel services provided by these touts

Touts spoil tourist areas, action must be taken against them: Goa minister

To discourage their activities, the Goa Police have decided to create a 'database' of the arrested touts to take further action against them

Goa minister warns taxi operators after US tourists forced to cancel trip

Goa tourism minister Rohan Khaunte on Friday condemned the incident at Mormugao Port in which some taxi operators refused to allow American tourists to board buses for a sight-seeing trip of the coastal state. He said taxi operators indulging in such kind of incidents will have their permits cancelled. The 100-odd tourists had got down from a cruise ship on Wednesday and had to cancel their sight-seeing trip due to the incident, which also involved taxi operators allegedly assaulting a bus driver. "The incident has created ripples throughout the tourism sector. We will ensure there is no repeat of such incidents. It is the prerogative of the tourists to choose their mode of transport," Khaunte said. "Taxi operators cannot force tourists to use their vehicles. We will move to cancel permits of taxi operators who indulge in such incidents. Post this incident, departments like transport, tourism and police will work closely," he added.

First international cruise ship of current tourist season arrives in Goa

Traditional Goan music played out and flowers were given as tourists disembarked from an international cruise liner in Vasco town on Wednesday, setting the tone for an upbeat tourist season after a long gap as shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic receded. In Goa, where tourism is the mainstay of the economy, the arrival of Viking Mars, the first international cruise ship of the current tourist season, was an occasion to celebrate. As soon as the ship docked at Vasco and 650 tourists disembarked, Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar moved forward to lead a traditional welcome. The tourists were given flowers by local women complemented by the beating of drums. "This is the first international cruise ship to arrive in Goa for the current tourist season," a senior state Tourism department official said. He said the state government has been promoting cruise tourism by organising road shows and participating in tourism marts to promote Goa. The peak tourism season in Goa typically stretches from

Ironman 70.3 Goa: Athletes from 33 countries will test endurance on Sunday

1,450 athletes would be participating in the eight-hour triathlon

Illegalities in tourism sector to be tackled: Goa minister Rohan Khaunte

The Goa government will take all efforts to tackle illegalities in the beach belt like unauthorised massage services and touting during the tourist season, state minister Rohan Khaunte said on Thursday. Talking to reporters here, the tourism minister also slammed some of the activists protesting against the state's proposed jetty policy. "The menace of touts and unauthorised people offering massages in the beach belt and certain points in Panaji city is increasing. The tourism department will, if need be, amend the tourism laws to allow police to act against those indulging in such activities," Khaunte said. Asserting that the new jetty policy is aimed at boosting tourism, he said those opposing it are trying to establish their political careers or resurrecting it, while a third group is protesting without even reading the draft. The jetty policy has nothing to do with coal transportation or any other aspect that will affect fishing as alleged by protesters, Khaunte said. The mini

No e-visa facility for UK travellers likely to hit business: Goa tourism

Goa tourism industry stakeholders have said their business is likely to get affected this tourist season due to the withdrawal of e-visa facility for visitors from the United Kingdom. The chartered flights which were supposed to arrive from the UK in October, when the new tourist season commences in Goa, have been postponed to November, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) president Nilesh Shah said on Tuesday. TTAG is an apex tourism body in the coastal state. The UK no longer falls within the over 150 countries that can access the online tourist e-visa option when travelling to India, which has caused a considerable strain for tourists. Shah said the issuance of e-visas for travellers from the UK had stopped during COVID-19 pandemic. The UK and Russia are two important destinations from where visitors arrive in Goa during the tourist season. As per figures of the Goa tourism department, before the outbreak of COVID-19, around 40,000 tourists used to arrive from the UK .

Water sports policy to benefit tourists, operators of Goa: Tourism Minister

Stating that Goa faces challenges on tourism from Sindhudurg belt and from Karnataka border, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said that his department is promoting water sports

NGT dismisses plea of Goa's Curlies nightclub challenging demolition

NGT has upheld the GCZMA order to demolish the alleged illegal structure of Curlies, run by Edwin Nunes -- arrested in the Phogat case

Goa, Nainital in top summer holiday destinations in 2022, says OYO survey

Goa, Nainital, Rishikesh, Gangtok and Mount Abu emerged as the top five favoured family summer holiday destinations for Indians this year, according to a survey by OYO.

Only tourists with both vax doses must be allowed in Goa: Minister

Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Thursday said that tourism should be opened once everyone in Goa gets a double vaccine dose

Lockdown to continue in Goa's tourist hotspots: Ports Minister Michael Lobo

Tourist hotspots like Calangute and Candolim in North Goa will continue to be under lockdown, even as the government has lifted lockdown in other parts of the state, Ports Minister Michael Lobo says