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Goa Tourism
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.
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
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
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 .