5 Initiatives By Goa Tourism

Goa is one of the most frequented tourist destinations in India welcoming over 12% of the total foreign nationals visiting the country every year. It wouldn’t have been the same without Goa Tourism that is always coming up with initiatives to enhance the quality of holiday experiences. Here are 5 initiatives by Goa Tourism that will transform Goa into a world class tourist destination.

Seaplanes
How would you like an express trip from the Dabolim Airport to Coco Beach in seven minutes? You find it impossible? Not anymore, it isn’t! Goa witnessed the beginning of new milestones in the tourism sector with the launch of Seaplanes. Goa Tourism will endow tourists with an unforgettable adrenaline rush in the sky and the sea riding on a seaplane from October this year. The 8-seater seaplane will pick up passengers at Dabolim airport and fly them to the destination (Coco beach, Dauna Paula, or Miramar) in minutes.

Hot air balloons and amphibious vehicles
Haven’t we all imagined how life would be to look at the sceneries from the sky and to drive our cars into a river and transform them into a boat like one of those spy movies? All of that is coming to life in Goa with the launch of hot air balloon and amphibious vehicle rides this October. Camping Retreats Pvt. Ltd. has been selected to provide the Hot Air Ballooning service, while US based consortium with D’souza Leisure Pvt. Ltd. Goa has been selected to provide the amphibious vehicles service. Both the services will focus on highlighting Goa’s hinterlands and give tourists an opportunity to explore the rich geography of the State.

Women taxi services
Getting taxis on fair fares might be quite a task for the ladies at times and could also be dangerous at odd hours. To ease this pain, Goa Tourism launched the Women Taxi service last October; thus making Goa one of the few States in the country to have taxis driven by women, exclusively for women passengers. These taxis are driven by lady drivers who are trained in self defense, soft skills, first-aid and have knowledge of tourist spots, thus doubling up as tour guides to their passengers whenever required. You can avail the service by contacting the call centre on 0832 – 2437 437, how about that?

Comprehensive beach cleaning initiative
Do you like dirty beaches? Neither does GTDC. To ensure cleanliness of the beaches, Goa Tourism has hired two agencies to cater to the cleanliness of North and South Goa beaches. The project ensures cleanliness of beaches from floating and other waste that washes onto the beaches from tidal springs especially during the monsoons and high tides amongst others. The comprehensive beach cleaning initiative is proposed to be strengthened further with a new initiative called Green Warriors that will be launched soon. This will be part of the Swachh Bharat campaign.

Lifeguard services
Thanks to the meticulous lifeguards on Goan beaches that I am no longer scared of going in to sea and drowning. You don’t have to be either! (but don’t get into deeper waters if you can’t swim) Lifeguard services were introduced in 2008 with the objective of reducing deaths due to drowning on the beaches of Goa. Today, 676 lifeguards are serving the 105 km beach belt which extends from sunrise to sunset and covers the coastline from Pollem in South Goa to Keri in North Goa. In addition, 117 lifeguards serve under Beach Safety Patrol (BSP) which monitors the beaches from Sunset till Midnight.