Goa is all set to launch a new public relations campaign which will rival Kerala’s iconic God’s Own Country campaign and increase tourism revenue, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said at the Swadesh Tourism Conclave on Tuesday.

At the conclave organised by APN News and Balaji Foundation, Khaunte said the state is launching a new PR campaign that will focus to bring revenue to the state and boost employment. The state is also working towards making the ‘Sun, Sand, Sea, and Software’ campaign successful, Khaunte said.

Recalling Goa tourism’s success during the Covid pandemic, Khaunte said, “We tried to convert adversity into opportunity and initiated the idea of Work From Goa culture. The state put efforts to eliminate the tourists’ fear and focused on changing the image of Goa even during the coronavirus pandemic.” The minister said this was an opportunity for the state to change the image of Goa from sun, sand and sea to work from Goa and flex its IT muscle.

“We cannot compete with Hyderabad and Bengaluru. But we put Brand Goa as the creative capital of the country.

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Khaunte said, “Imagine a digital nomad working from the beach shack. They can surf, have a drink and get back to work, this will increase productivity.”

Identifying more scope for tourism, the minister listed eco-tourism, food tourism, and the showcasing of Indo-Portuguese culture and adventure. “More than 400 bird species are in Goa. Bird-loving tourists like to spend time looking for them. Dudh Sagar Falls are another attraction in sylvan surroundings.”

Apart from medical and wellness tourism, spiritual tourism is also a hallmark of Goa, he said, since the state has the temples of Mangueshi and Shanta Durga as well as the iconic Bom Jesus Church and the Se Cathedral. The new Mopa airport will be a game changer for us and we can connect to tier one and tier two cities, Khaunte added.

Addressing a question on why Goa hasn’t focused on wedding tourism as a concept, Khaunte admitted that since event planners haven’t brought the government’s attention to the interest among people to get married in the state.

Giving an outline of Goa’s tourism journey since independence from Portugal in 1961, Khaunte said hippie culture was the flavour of the Sixties and that conversely has birthed homestays as a business concept in the 21st century. He said tourism in Goa changed for the better in the 1990s and since then, it has replaced mining as Goa’s main contributor to the GSDP.

The state with a population of 15 lakh hosts 8 million tourists of whom 9 lakh are international tourists. Khaunte admitted that a large number of foreign tourists are from Russia and the United Kingdom.

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