KPMG to prepare Goa tourism plan
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The government of Goa has hired KPMG to draw up its new long-term tourism plan.
The financial services company will team up with Tourism & Leisure Advisory Services to prepare the new 25-year masterplan, which will focus on drawing the “right type of tourist” to Goa.
“The focus is to create an implementable master plan rather than blindly copy tourism products and strategies from other locations, which might not work in Goa,” explained Dilip Parulekar, Goa’s Tourism Minister.
“To do this, a key activity is to get inputs from all stakeholders including the general public. This will ensure that the master plan adequately considers the impact on the Goan economy as well as focuses on preserving the social, environmental and cultural fabric of the state.”
The plan is intended to lay out which kind of tourists will provide the best long-term return for Goa, and which tourism products will best cater to them. It will develop a vision for the Goan tourism industry in the short-term (the next five years), medium-term (15 years) and long-term (25 years), including setting goals in terms of tourist arrival numbers, tourism expenditure and average length of stay.
It will also aim to identify tourism’s contribution to Goa’s economy, job creation and entrepreneurship opportunities for local people. Finally, the plan will aim to identify the environmental impacts of tourism and how improve the industry’s sustainability.
“Our tourist product portfolio is evolving with several quality products and activities such as seaplane services and white-water rafting being introduced,” said Nikhil Desai, Goa’s director of tourism.
“The masterplan will set a framework for deciding which tourism products to focus on and recommend where in Goa to set them up. A key aim is to identify the ‘right type of tourist’ for Goa and develop a strategy to attract such tourists while ensuring sustainability.”
While the exact focus of the strategy is still to be decided, the Goan government said it would place emphasis on “cultural, heritage, ecotourism, hinterland, wellness, MICE, wedding and adventure tourism”. “The consultants will also develop a tourism policy and institutional framework… [including a] framework for resource allocation, investment , incentives and initiatives,” it added.
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