COVER STORY

C O V E R S T O R Y

THE NEW TOURISM POLICY AND GOA

B y R a j e s h G h a d g e S t o c k I m a g e s

Image Credits - Paz Arando

Goa is a major tourism destination in India and even during covid, it was the only state in the country which had a few tourism activities operational, except for that first major lockdown. Goa has all the required ingredients to run off tourism very efficiently but the tourism policy which has been drafted by the state government is yet to be properly implemented.

What is the New Tourism Policy? Tourism is the major economic foundation for Goa and other businesses function around this. Goa has a unique cultural image across the world and that was recognised by stakeholders since liberation and from then on, there was no turning back. Initially, it was a hippy ’ s paradise and slowly it transformed to what it is today. The Tourism Development Corporation was established in 1982 with the purpose of providing budget accommodation, sight-seeing tours and river cruises to tourists visiting the state. While retaining the traditional image, Goa remained a prime beach destination in the country and the new tourism policy was brought in to showcase eco-tourism, hinterland development (villages), cultural, heritage tourism, business tourism, adventure tourism and indigenous health care tourism. The whole idea behind the policy was to encourage private players to take on a leading role in the development of tourism in the state.

Image Credits - Shivansh Singh

The new tourism policy was created to raise the bar in the tourism sector by creating an infrastructure which is the foundation for sustainable development of tourism in the state. Here are some of the guidelines laid down by the state government: 1. Encouragement to existing private initiatives through an appropriate package of fiscal and friendly taxation measures. 2. Investor friendly environment for new private initiatives through a combination of prompt processes and progressive fiscal and taxation policies. 3. Develop tourism as a non-invasive instrument of revitalization, conservation and growth. 4. Balanced tourism development as a part of the overall Area Development Strategy. 5. Public infrastructural facilities including local planning and zoning arrangements. 6. Entrust regulatory measures to ensure social, cultural and environmental sustainability. 7. Ensure that the type and scale of tourism development is compatible with the environment and social cultural milieu of the area. 8. Ensure that the local community is involved and the benefits of tourism accrue to them. 9. Ensure availability of trained manpower primarily from amongst the local pollution. 10. Undertake research, prepare Master Plans, formulate marketing strategies and organize domestic and overseas promotion and marketing jointly with the industry. 11. Ensure Regulation of Indigenous Tourism related Health Care System. 12. Measures to ensure promotion, facilitation and regulation of Tourist Trade.

The scope of the tourism policy is very wide and it cannot be addressed in just one article, but we still try our best to provide you with the most relevant and up-to-date information and for that we spoke with some stakeholders of the tourism industry to find out more and here is what they have to say about it. D S Prashant - CEO of FiiRE & Promotor of Tourism Tech Startups in Goa is working in the field of tourism tech startups to bring change in this segment and feels that Goa ’ s tourism along with other tourism destinations has struggled over 2020-2022. And as one of the worst hit industries in the pandemic, local as well as international organisations are working towards helping the industry to recover. According to him, Goa ’ s Tourism policy includes elements that can help us pick up from where we left off, and now incorporate sustainability goals, responsible tourism as well as better operational efficiencies & customer experiences. With technology as the driver, the cornerstone principles of the policy can help the industry to revive. Developing tourism infrastructure in an environmentally and ecologically sustainable manner, developing Nature clusters, setting up family entertainment districts, and facilities to attract high-end tourists, and incorporating technology, to enhance the quality of the tourism product, are all elements in the current tourism policy with great potential to revive

Goa ’ s Tourism. AI-driven customer data, VR-led promotional campaigns, and technology-driven marketing activities can be implemented to attract a global traveller. Waste management, mobility, sustainability, clean tech, and technological innovations to experience tourist attractions, is what Goa can implement in the coming years to boost tourism activity. There is a lot of potential in developing hinterland tourism, using technology to help promote beach-belt tourism in a novel way, promoting ecotourism to attract the modern responsible tourist, enhancing safety to attract family & solo women travellers, promoting wellness & adventure tourism and much more. Goa has a topography that can interest a wide variety of travellers and many natural and heritage sites that can be developed to offer diverse experiences. We need to think globally and be updated on technology that enhances tourism experiences. Globally, for instance, AR mobile apps use object recognition to offer on-screen information about places of interest, museums, galleries, and landmarks, as a tourist strolls through a city or town - making it a convenient virtual guide. Technology such as this is what a global traveller expects. And with tech startups catching on to global trends, we can develop technology to entice these travellers. The tourism department’ s vision and emphasis on technology will help guide this change. Collaboration with industry, tech startup ecosystem, and other government organisations will speed up the implementation of the tourism policy. As an incubation centre, and TourismTech accelerator FiiRE (Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship) supports startups with innovative ideas that will alter tourism for travellers, suppliers and the environment. A number of our startups are developing tech-based solutions to help tourism revival. It is our vision to make Goa the premier destination for TourismTech startups by 2030, in line with the Tourism Departments '

vision to make Goa the most preferred destination around the year for high-spending tourists in India by 2024, and a world-class international tourism destination by 2030. Nikhil Mirkar - Proprietor of Goa Unlimited (DMC for Goa) spoke on the New Visa Policy and its effects on the tourism industry of Goa. According to him,, after a gap of 2 years, just when they were recovering from the covid situation and hoping to start the festive season with the return of foreign charter flights, the new visa policies for inbound tourist into India, has been a bummer for Goa The inconvenience of getting a visa has led to a high number of cancellation amongst the UK tourists. With more hotel beds starting this season and the uncertainty of the charters, I feel Goa will again take the hit this year with hotels only attaining close to 100% during weekends and the festive period. Rest of the period, they will have to sell with further discounted rates to increase the occupancies. After noticing the hit in the 1st few days of the season, hope our government tries their best to resolve the visa situation at least by the beginning of December. This may help in bringing in more charter and FIT business, even if it' s for the 1st few months of 2023. That will be a good sign of recovery. Siddhant Salgainkar Associate Director of Sales, Hilton Goa Resort says. "Russia and UK are 2 of the biggest inbound markets for Goa. Owing to the scrapping of the e-visa policy it has become very cumbersome for tourists to apply for visas. As per some trade figures, there seems to be a cancellation of almost 6000 tourists already and the number is

only increasing which doesn

’t augur well for the Goan Tourism Industry at large. " Gaurav Apte, GM, of Goa Marriott Resort & Spa feels that the UK is the largest tourist market for India and Goa. During this season British tourists, who have usually repeated visitors, flock to Goa to escape the harsh winters of their home country. But with the last minute change in visa rules requiring them to present themselves in person at visa centres in the UK to apply for tourist visas, many Britons had to cancel their planned trips to India. There are no visa appointments available before their flight departs. Also, the UK has been removed from the list of countries eligible for e visas making this more difficult for them. This is hampering the tourism business in terms of foreign investment too. Hoping this issue gets resolved soon so we can welcome foreign tourists to Goa and India.

Image Credits - ( d f y b ) TRAVEL CAPTURES