The initial work on the policy and master plan started in 2014 through the association of KPMG Advisory Services Pvt Ltd and Leisure Advisory Services. It took almost three years to prepare the master plan. In December 2019, both documents were sent to the government for approval. The policy has four modules that were submitted over a staggered time schedule spanning 5 years from 2015 to date.
After the Cabinet meeting, Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, addressed media persons and said that the State Tourism Policy 2020 and the Master Plan were waiting for approval for so long. He further added that the cabinet has granted its nod to both. Dr. Pramod Sawant also said that the cabinet has granted approval for a 50 percent waiver in licensing fees for beach shacks for the current season of tourism. The last day of payment of the fees is 31st December.
The Tourism Policy entirely covers various aspects such as coastal, educational, cultural, and nature-based tourism, leisure tourism, entertainment, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibition). However, the most important aspect of the policy is the provision for consulting the Goa Tourism Board which will highlight the strategies for promoting and marketing Goa at the international platform. If we dig more deeply into the policy and master plan, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said that hereafter tourism activities and related infrastructure would be planned and implemented according to the master plan and tourism policy.
Manohar Ajgaonkar said, “It is very important that we promote Goa beyond beaches, churches, temples, and heritage. The document speaks about introducing eco-tourism, hinterland-tourism, and adventure, and sports tourism, educational and cultural tourism along with entertainment.” He further added that the required infrastructure would be created with funding from the Center as well as the State. The Minister, Manohar Ajgaonkar said that the formation of the Goa Tourism Board is one of the major features of the policy. He said, “The Board will consist of expert members from various fields, including environmentalist.”
Mr. Ajgaonkar said that the Board will finalize the kind of tourism projects, activities, and infrastructures that need to be created along with promoting and marketing Goa as a brand on an international platform. He further added that the plan will be responsible for strategizing the promotion of Goa globally. He said that a drug-free Goa will be promoted to attract more tourists.
The new Tourism policy also offers an onslaught on narco-tourism, a corrupt system that has been grappling in the tourism since it formally began by accident via the ‘hippie’ culture nearly half a century ago. The two other broad objectives of the policy Ajgaonkar picked out to promoting were ‘natural beauty’ and ‘heritage’.
The Tourism Minister, Manohar Ajgaonkar also said, “Projects on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) would be encouraging. It is time to rebuild the tourism sector, which hit hard due to the current pandemic.”