This year the Goa Tourism roadshow is rolling into Australia; hosting a ‘Goa Evening’ on 19th October, 2015 at The Langham, Melbourne.
During the event, a new portfolio of facets will be proudly showcased to impress visitors from the travel trade Down Under.
The Goa Tourism delegation at the event will be headed by Mr. Deepak Parulekar, Hon. Minister of Tourism, Govt. of Goa and presided over by Mr. Nikhil Desai, MD, Goa Tourism.
Goa is already abuzz with activity and excitement for several reasons.
Adventure Tourism
As a new initiative, Goa has taken adventure tourism to new heights. Hot Air Balloons, Amphibious Vessels and Seaplanes have been introduced giving an all-new perspective to adventure tourism.
The unique initiatives launched in May 2015 will begin full-fledged operations in October and will mark the beginning of a thrilling experience for tourists visiting Goa. Goa Tourism will shortly roll out plans of newer projects to be launched during the forthcoming season. Initiatives such as ropeways, segway tours, bungee jumping, scuba diving, horse riding and many more are on the anvil.
Wedding Tourism
While marriages are made in heaven, Goa Tourism is ensuring that the celebrations deserve a place no less. The tiny State has become a big hotspot for weddings and wedding celebrations. With excellent air, road and rail connectivity, wide range of hotels, cuisine, entertainers and a lot more, Wedding Tourism in Goa has caught on in a big way. Beach weddings are also increasing in popularity and the single -window system introduced facilitates conduct of such memorable occasions.
The State has bagged several awards as a leading Wedding and Honeymoon destination all through 2015, beginning with the ITB Berlin PATWA award and many others. Goa’s offerings for Wedding Tourism are umpteen and alluring.
Festivals and Events
Photo Credit: Festivalsherpa
Amongst Goa’s major tourist draws are festivals and events that are organized from October till May. Goa Tourism takes the opportunity to showcase how the tiny State has diverse cultures, folklore, food and festivities.
From annual religious festivals of Ganesh Chaturti, Diwali and Christmas to annual cultural events – Carnaval, Shigmo, and conceptualized events such as Grape Escapade – Asia’s biggest Wine Festival, Food and Cultural Festival, Coconut and Cashew Festival, Heritage Festival, almost every season has a reason for tourists to visit Goa. Even the monsoons are an exciting time to be in Goa with several monsoon festivals organized showcasing Goa’s culture and customs. White -water rafting, wellness and yoga tourism are some of the main monsoon highlights.
E-Tourist Visa facility
The E-Tourist Visa facility (ETV) launched by the Central Government in December 2014 has proved to be a big boon for Goa.
The initial launch of the facility to 43 countries and periodic inclusions, have taken the list to 113 countries. Within a short span of 8 months, as many as 17,100 ETVs have been issued at Goa’s airport, Dabolim.
Safety and Security of tourists
Goa Tourism has left no stone unturned when it comes to safety and security of tourists. The water and beach patrol, with 676 lifeguards and an additional 117 personnel on beach patrol till midnight, tourist police to crack the whip on touting, and the women’s taxi service – an exclusive service for female tourists and passengers, reassures tourists visiting Goa that Goa Tourism has not compromised on safety aspects for tourists visiting the State.
Goa is also a safe destination for night life and this has been endorsed by none less than National Geographic in its listing of the Top 10 Best Nightlife Cities in the World. Goa figures sixth on that list.
Beach Cleaning initiatives
Goa Tourism is proud to announce to the world that it has five of the best beaches among 25 endorsed by Trip Advisor at the Best of 2015 Awards. Goa also has 11 of India’s 25 best beaches, again in Trip Advisors Best of 2015 Awards.
Goa Tourism showcases to the world its clean beaches emanating from the Comprehensive Beach Cleaning Management Plan and other Clean Beach initiatives. The scientific mechanisms introduced for collection, segregation and disposal are showing good results. The Whatsapp initiative is also working well and the Green Warriors initiative which will be launched shortly will add more feathers to the clean and green campaigns flagged off by the Goa Tourism.
Delphic Games 2016
Photo Credit: Delphic Games
Goa Tourism will soon be ‘Celebrating Arts and Cultures’ through the conduct of the Delphic Games in February next year.
The Vth Youth Delphic Games is the world’s only common floor for art and culture that is coming to India for the first time.
The Vth Youth Delphic Games is estimated to attract 125 countries with over 7000 participants, six art categories and over 70 sub-categories, with many parallel artistic and fun events and activities for everyone.
The Delphic Games in Goa will celebrate six art categories namely, musical arts and sounds (singing, instrumental music, electronic sounds), performing arts (dance, theatre, circus, puppetry) language arts (literature, poetry, moderation), visual arts (painting, graphics, sculpture, installation, fashion, photography), social arts (communications, Internet, media, pedagogic, didactic) and ecological arts & architecture (urban planning, landscaping, preservation and conservation of nature, monuments).
Goa Tourism takes this opportunity to invite one and all to Goa to be a part of all the excitement, fun, festivities, flavours and more.
For more information visit www.goa-tourism.com and www.goatourism.gov.in
Also follow Goa on Facebook (officialgoatourism), Twitter (@tourismgoa) and Instagram.
