Ahead of Christmas and New Year, Goa expects record flow of tourists

The Goa Tourism Department expects the number of tourists arriving in the state this season to touch the pre-pandemic level of 81 lakh or 8.1 million.

The inauguration of the Manohar International Airport in North Goa district, a second airport in the state, and the opening up of new markets like Germany, the USA, UK (where the e-visa facility has been made available) will boost the number of tourists, state Tourism Minister, Rohan Khaunte, told reporters on Tuesday.

New initiatives to boost tourism in Goa

The tourism department has introduced several new initiatives like the Home Stay policy which will incentivize the sector and also help the rural economy, Khaunte said.

The coastal state is also looking to attract `digital nomads’ (remote workers who travel to different locations and use the Internet technology to work) who earn around Rs 70-75 lakh per annum and contribute back 35 percent of their earnings to the economy, the minister added.

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The tourist season in Goa generally starts in November and extends till February.

The tourism industry in Goa was badly hit due to the coronavirus pandemic in the last two years. As many as 9 lakh international tourists and 72 lakh domestic tourists arrived in the coastal state in 2019.

With Agency inputs