Tag: Goa Tourism

The tourism industry in Goa is banking on drive-in visitors after the mandatory COVID-19 test for domestic travellers at state borders, railway stations and the airport here was lifted as part of easing of lockdown restrictions. Goa Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Nikhil Desai said, initially, the sector will have to depend on drive-in tourists as there is very little response to flights and trains, PTI has reported. ‘Since borders are now open and tourists are allowed to enter Goa without COVID-19 testing, those from neighbouring states are expected to drive into the state in their own vehicles,’ he said. ... Read more

picture credit : Manish Chopdekar The Goa government has withdrawn the need for transit permits for people to visit the state. However, the requirement for Covid-19 tests either prior to departure, upon arrival and home quarantine will continue for the visitors. No travel permit is now required to enter Goa, but a modified health protocol now requires travellers to carry a negative test report secured 48-hours prior to entering the state. The new instructions follow orders from the Union home ministry which said there shall be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods and that no ... Read more

Goa has framed new quarantine rules by which institutional quarantine has been made mandatory for symptomatic passengers till test result is available. The new directives require all passengers landing in Goa to go for 14-day home quarantine or 14 days of paid institutional quarantine. Passengers can skip home quarantine in the following cases: If the passenger furnishes a COVID-19 negative certificate issued by an ICMR-recognized lab. The test should not be older than 48 hours prior to the arrival in Goa. If the passenger chooses to take a swab test upon landing at a cost of INR 2000, and goes ... Read more

The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has charged tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar for allowing COVID-19 positive tourists into Goa. A press statement issued by GPCC general secretary Amarnath Panjikar said tourists have been allowed entry into the state illegally.  “The tourism minister is solely responsible for COVID-19 positive tourists coming to Goa with bogus addresses,” Panjikar said. “The irresponsible act of the tourism minister to open the doors of Goa has now resulted in additional pressure being put on the health workers as well as the police force in tracing these COVID-19 infected tourists,” he alleged. He stated that many ... Read more

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the resumption of domestic tourism, which was suspended due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, will kickstart the coastal state’s economy. There was a lot of pressure from tourism stakeholders to restart the tourism industry and the government acceded to their demands as it is an economic activity, the chief minister said. “At present, Goans require employment and there was immense pressure from tourism stakeholders to restart the sector. After considering all the aspects and putting standard operating procedures in place, we decided to reopen the sector,” Sawant said. Tourism activities resumed in Goa on Thursday, with ... Read more

More than 250 hotels in Goa will throw open their doors on Thursday after the government granted permission to resume operation, the state’s Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has said. Hotels in Goa had been shut since March, when the lockdown was announced to contain the spread of Covid-19. The Goa government had sought applications from hotel operators who were willing to reopen with a declaration that they will abide by the standard operating procedures. “The hotels will be allowed to start from Thursday. Those who want to travel to Goa can do so. Hotel bookings should be done prior to ... Read more

The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has urged Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to not further delay restarting tourism in the State.  A delegation of the TTAG met the Chief Minister on Tuesday with a letter requesting to unlock the tourism industry that has been shut due to COVID-19 induced lockdown. They claimed that closure of the tourism sector has severely impacted the stakeholders.  “Closures of all the hotels, restaurants and bars on account of COVID-19 and the closures have continued from March 2020 till now but it cannot remain closed for a much longer period as there ... Read more

Saving lives is Goa’s primary concern at the moment, and not tourism, the state’s deputy chief minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has said. Ajgaonkar, who is also the tourism minister of the state, has said that the pandemic-induced economic slowdown, would help Goa build and promote tourism in a legal manner in the future. “First, we have to save our lives, and tourism is not the immediate concern,” Ajgaonkar told reporters at the State Secretariat on Monday. The Minister said Goa had been designated as a green zone, but COVID-19 cases began to surge after the Central government eased travel restrictions to ... Read more

Only 30 hotels have applied to the Goa Tourism Department for permission to reopen, as the state prepares itself to restart tourism. “We have received around 30 applications from various hotels as of now. We will scrutinise these and after the government takes a call, we will allow them to open,” Director (Tourism) Menino D’Souza has said. The number of applications is low, considering the state is home to several hundreds of hotels and home stays. The state’s hospitality sector has seen many people lose their jobs due to the pandemic, and many of the hotels are not in any ... Read more

Besides being colonized by the Portuguese, Goa has a fascinating historical past, which dates back further to the 3rd century BC. A prominent part of the Mauryan Empire, Goa enjoyed prime importance because of its natural harbours and wide river base. Only in 1987 did Goa get the status of an independent state and the regional language Konkani was recognized as one of India’s official languages. Despite the multi-cultural influences on Goa, the state still boasts of a distinctive culture, which makes the destination an affable one. Fairs and festivals in Goa are really a refreshing experience for the town ... Read more

Goa will have to reinvent its tourism profile and go back to the pristine 1960s, in a bid to get the industry back on its feet, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters outside Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s official residence in Panaji, Ajgaonkar said that the state would only focus on “wealthy tourists” and stay away from budget tourism in the future. “We have to recreate the Goa of the 1960s to kickstart our tourism again. In 1960s, Goa was beautiful and now in 2020 it is very different with more than 8 million visiting tourists,” the ... Read more

Goa would like to open its doors to tourism once the lock-down gets lifted on May 17, state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said. “After May 17 we would like to welcome tourists, if the central guidelines allow it. We are waiting for the central guidelines. Goa is coronavirus-free and that’s a positive thing,” Sawant said. The Chief Minister said that there was a buzz in the tourism industry, with Goa being declared coronavirus-free. Sawant said the state government would request the Centre for a bailout package for the tourism industry, which is one of the worst-hit due to the ... Read more

Goa will not allow air travellers to enter the state without a health certificate. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said that even after the Centre opens up airports once the COVID-19 lock-down is eased or lifted, no one can enter the tourist haven without medical clearance. Vishwajit Rane said he had already urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to take up the issue with the Union Civil Aviation ministry to not allow air travellers to enter the state without a COVID-19 certificate. The Civil Aviation Ministry can inform the various airlines about this condition, he said. “Each state has ... Read more

With an objective to curtail the mushrooming illegal hotels, the Goa government is planning to make registration of hotels with the tourism department mandatory. It was announced by Goa tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar  after chairing a meeting of tourism industry stakeholders  at the secretariat. “Whether big or small, all hotels will have to get registered with the tourism department or face legal action. We will impose a fine for non-registration and can even file court case,” said the tourism minister. The minister also noted that compulsory registration would also help the tourism department correctly ascertain the number of tourist arrivals. ... Read more

Israeli airline Arkia Airlines Ltd. announce to introduce flights to Goa and Cochin in the state of Kerala. Arkia is joining El Al Israel Airlines Ltd., which operates direct flights to Mumbai, and Air India, which flies from Tel Aviv to Delhi on a shorter route passing above Saudi Arabia. The new flights will start operating from September 2019 using recently acquired Airbus 321neoLR airliners. It will take seven hours reach the destinations and will take place all year round, except for the summer in Israel, which is the monsoon season in India. The flight to Goa will take off ... Read more