Khaunte attributes rise in footfall to marketing
Panaji: Marketing Goa as a tourist destination at international and domestic road shows has cost the state a hefty Rs 64.7 crore from 2022 till date. The expenditure includes Rs 14.2 crore spent so far this year on road shows and publicity campaigns, the government disclosed in the House on Thursday.
Stating that the overall tourist arrivals increased in the last three years, Minister for Tourism Rohan Khaunte attributed this rise in the number of visitors to the promotion of the state at international and domestic exhibitions, events, road shows, etc.
He said the tourism department also organised festivals and media campaigns, put up social media posts and carried out promotion activities in collaboration with online travel aggregators such as Make My Trip (MMT), Just Udo Aviation Pvt Ltd (Fly 91), Agoda Company Pte Ltd, etc.
According to the information provided in the House, tourism officials attended a total of 29 overseas events in various countries.
The countries include Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Germany, UAE, Bahrain, London, Japan, Poland, Russia and South Korea, among others. The officials attended events in these countries to participate in international tourism fairs, marts, etc. Within India, the officials participated in events like Bharat Parv and travel and tourism fairs in various states.
Goa International Travel Mart 2024, a major event held at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Bambolim, cost the state Rs 5.9 crore of which Rs 13.8 lakh were the venue booking charges and the remaining Rs 5.7 crore was incurred on managing the event.
In reply to a question raised by MLAs Vijai Sardesai and Carlos Ferreira, Khaunte said Goa Tourism Board’s empowered committee on marketing and public relations approves participation in tourism-related events.
Khaunte said tourist arrivals from January to June 2025 increased by 8% with a footfall of 54.5 lakh compared to 50.3 lakh visitors in the corresponding months of 2024. He said the domestic tourist footfall in the first six months of this year numbered 51.8 lakh. The state also witnessed an improvement in foreign tourist arrivals, the House was told.
In another reply, the government said the state has 243 homestays. Three applications have been received by the tourism department to register caravans under the Caravan Tourism Policy.
The department has identified Quepem taluka as the site for hinterland tourism.
