This Is How Goa Plans To Revive Tourism Once The Lockdown Is Over

As Goa has been declared a Green Zone and is slowly and steadily starting up commercial activities, it still has to figure out its main challenge — How to tackle tourism in the time of Coronavirus? Read more.

Goa

According to a LiveMint report, in the year 2019-2020, Goa witnessed a tourist influx of nearly 8 million people. Since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in the state, tourism in Goa has taken a major hit. Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar stated that if Goa wants to get back on its feet as a tourist hub, it will have to go back to the 1960s.

Goa
He also stated that the state will focus on “wealthy tourists” and stay away from budget and local spending tourists in the coming years. He was quoted as saying, "We have 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."  

Also Read: Summer In Goa: Places To Avoid For A Crowd-Free And Cool Experience!

Goa

He further added, "What we are trying to do along with experts, is to take Goa back to the 1960s. We do not want tourists who consume drugs, cook on our roads or who create nuisance on beaches. We want good tourists who are wealthy and who can appreciate Goa and its culture." In the 1960s, Goa gained prominence due to the arrival of the hippie culture. The state known for its relaxed pace of life suddenly got a big tourism boom in 2007. This happened due to the liberal licensing introduced in the casino industry which increased tourist footfall from 2 million in 2007 to a whopping 8 million in the 2019-2020 season. 

Beach

The minister also stated that tourism can only be revived once a vaccine has been developed. "Until state-to-state level travel can happen we cannot do anything. I feel only when a vaccine is invented or a cure is developed, that tourism movement will begin to happen in Goa."

Are you ready for a more relaxed and laid back Goa devoid of hard partying and lesser tourists? Let us know in the comments section below.

News Source: LiveMint

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