GTDC to float Goa's own cruise ship

The Goa Tourism Development corporation will soon float a tender for a cruise ship with the latest state of the art facilities and a 250 person seating capacity to float in Goa's rivers which is expected to benefit tourism in Goa in a big way. The tender will be open to shipyards in Goa who will also be eligible to bid for the same. The Cruise ship is expected to be incorporated with emerging features such as GSM, satellite services, latest sound systems, total air-conditioning, LCD televisions, Wi-fi systems and a full fledged restaurant with smaller food courts.

The cruise which will be around 50 metres long and 11 metres wide, will have a capacity to seat 250 people and will be running on a powerful engine and high speeds. In its ambitious plans the department of tourism wants to offer tourists bound for Goa, a thrilling opportunity of experiencing the entire stretch of the Mandovi river region in Goa within one journey through the cruise ship.The cruise will not be limited to shallow waters and will be able to venture out into the deep sea.

The ship is also expected to be leased out to the Corporates for private gatherings, conferences and late night parties, deep in the sea with music at full-blast with no disturbances to the local people of Goa.

Now "Goencars" on hospitality list of Goa tourism

The "Goencar" or as some write the Indian way as  "Goenkar", or for some people who like to refer to the people of Goa as "Goanese", there seems to be a lot of attention pouring towards this typical Goan in the times of off-season for the tourism industry in Goa where the tourists have steadily dissappeared and currently the eye seems to have shifted to focus on local "Goencars" to come and indulge in some fun and playtime with a few perks here and there to urge them out from the comforts of their Goan homes into the fattened ambience of starred hotels in Goa.

So it is common these days to receive emails and sms over mobile tempting the Goan with a "much necessary" weekend recharge, a sumptuous buffet or a brunch( they call it breakfast and lunch put together), a swimming pool dip, some dancing and partying added with some games for the kids if you have them and a well-dressed-down tariff to suit the imaginations and make your decision ooze out a little faster.

In a way it has been a kind of stretching out to the local Goan community by the hotel fraternity in Goa who seem to be trying to cover their costs in the off-season with some bait for the locals to bite. It is also a good public relation(read PR) exercise for the hotel industry in Goa  as a means of reaching out to Goans by offering discounted packages as above and thereby instilling a sense of goodwill in the Goencars.

The cost per person at the above detailed 'weekend rechargers" is anything between 1,300 - 1800 per person inclusive of food and sometimes unlimited drinks. A weekend recharge normally also includes a room, high tea, dinner, breakfast, Goan lunch and drinks which may be unlimited in certain hotels in Goa.

The perception that the hotel industry is toying with is the fact that Goans hardly need to venture out of Goa since Goa itself is a beautiful place which many Goans have not enjoyed to the hilt. Also monsoons are considered as the best time to venture outside with family and friends besides being a cheaper option in the off-season. A getaway such as this often leads to a recharge of the mind and body and tends to keep you freshly charged for your next routine at the end of the weekend.

The short gasp of the holiday can also be a big boost for the children in Goa who have been typeset with holidays squeezed in only during the vacation period and then have to pour on their books in Goa before the next vacation troops in. Such a short weekend burst tends to soothe children as a pleasant surprise and gives them a short and much needed break from their studies and helps to keep them in a healthy state of mind to recharge their energies.

There are some hotels in Goa which come up with unique catchy captions to promote their weekend bouquets and added with a low cost, such offers become hard to resist. A hotel in north Goa offers a thrill in oriental cuisine at a bargain price of Rs 375/- per person and one has a choice to pick from a  variety in oriental food. The swimming pool is thrown in this package as an incentive and the response is reportedly astounding with families, friends and even the corporate clients pitching in to enjoy the short lived joy.

Another factor that urges people to go in for these short bursts of a holiday is the ease on the pocket which is an affordable deal in the off season. Also the kind of professional service, great food and lovely ambience along with some royal treatment makes these recharge packages very popular in Goa.

It is therefore evident that Goans are now changing in their attitude towards a holiday in Goa itself and many are opening their arms to some good offers from the hotel industry. Besides, Goans also realise that despite being in Goa since birth, most Goans have only ventured to the Goan beaches while most of Goa has not been seen or experienced. The hinterland of Goa is therefore a great attraction for Goans to explore and the tourism for Goans should therefore be directed in that area so that Goans know their Goa better  and enjoy it at the same time.

By Goacom

Enjoy Goa in the monsoons-Goa tourism campaigns

The bountiful rainfall in the month of July has certainly egged the business acumen of the tourism industry in the state of Goa and the state government now wants to reap the benefits of such an abundant outpouring from the skies by launching a massive campaign all over the country especially in the dry north India to woo tourists to the state of Goa to enjoy the green, clean and friendly Goa during the monsoons.

The state of Goa has been fortunate to receive a bountiful rainfall as is normal in Goa  in the monsoon. The rains have however not ventured into some areas of the country and the north and west of India is still experiencing scorching heat. Goa is estimated to have received over 1,553 mm rainfall till date with over 51.4 mm received only during the last 24 hours itself.

The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG)has approached the state government to step up its drive to promote the state in the Indian tourism market. TTAG has proposed two suggestions which include the revival of the "Goa 365 days"  tourism campaign which was pointed out as a catchy phrase and was recollected as being a successful campaign. The other suggestion is to aggressively promote Goa through advertisements in various travel magazines and news publications in markets which are Goa friendly according to the TTAG President Mr Ralph de Sousa.

On its part the tourism department has suggested campaigns on radio stations such as FM stations across the country in the form of jingles and advertisements which is expected to do the trick. Presently the GTDC has an average of 60% occupancy at its residences on the Goan coastline in Calangute, Miramar, Panjim and Colva. It is believed that it is much cooler in Goa in the rains and as a result  a lot of tourists from northern India make Goa their most favourite destination at this time of the year.

The Goa tourism Development Corporation is also expected to take part in the travel and trade fair at Kolkata which commences from July 11, the international travel mart at Bangalore from July 18 and another trade fair at Ahmedabad in Gujarat from July 31. These moves are being strategically planned at a time when the hotels in Goa have reduced their room tariffs but have however met limited success in attracting larger number of tourists to Goa.

Meanwhile the state of Goa has been sanctioned over Rs 43 crore by the central government for integrated development of infrastructure for heritage and river cruise development on the two Goan rivers of Mandovi and Zuari. Under the plan, the infrastructure expected due to the project is a new stat of the art "finger jetty" model for Santa Monica jetty in Panaji which berths cruise boats operating in the Mandovi river. Besides in the vicinity, a multi storeyed parking facility, reception area, cafeteria and boat cruise offices will be coming up.

Chinese being wooed for Goa

Air India, the country's premier international airline has begun a vigorous campaign to target Chinese tourists by offering them a free return trip from Mumbai or Delhi to Goa, according to the officials of the Goa tourism department who are in great spirits thanks to the Goa pavilion at the recent Beijing International Tourism Expo.

According to estimates, over 40,000 Chinese tourists visited the Goa pavilion at the tourism trade fair picking up a Goa brochure printed in Cantonese.

Chinese tourists have been steadily increasing their visits to "incredible India" in the last few years and places such as Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and the Ajanta and Ellora caves has seen a regular flow of Chinese tourists. By offering a free return air trip to Goa would therefore set the trend for a new travel market to explore, for the state of Goa.

During the three day tourism expo, the Goa pavilion attracted travel buyers, tour operators, travel agents and the media in general who attended seminars, conferences and presentations organised by the Goa team

Tourists head for Goa in the rains

The global economic meltdown notwithstanding, tourists have responded favourably to the bold initiatives of Goa's tourism industry which attracted them with attractive packages with sizeable discounts to woo tourists in the off season with bargain rates, which the tourists seem to have lapped up. This was evident from the fact that many hotels in Goa have reported a occupancy ranging from 50 to 70 percent in their hotel rooms.

The various schemes on offer seem to have clicked for the hotel industry, with some hotels even going to the extent of throwing in an extra free day's stay for their clients who book a room in the three day package. Other incentives include a free half-day sight-seeing tour along with a boat ride and free transport to and from the airport for the guests.

The properties of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation have however recorded a lower occupancy at around 50 % occupancy. The GTDC has been offering a discount of over 15% for individual tourists while in the case of groups of 20 or more, the discount on offer is around 20 percent. Students are offered a few other perks.

The President of the Travel and tourism association of Goa Mr Ralph D'Souza was of the opinion that most hotels had a very good occupancy in the monsoons in Goa while there was a minor dip in the arrival of domestic tourists  in May due to the elections in many parts of the country.

Also a lot of corporate houses in the country hold their annual conferences in the beach drenched state of Goa during the monsoons and bring in their management and executives to Goa thereby boosting the room occupancy. Also the local promotions by the hotel industry also keep the room occupancy high especially on the weekends.

For hotel bookings and bookings in luxurious apartments in Goa with all amenities, click here.

Goa's Mayem Lake crying for development

Mayem lake which is a natural beauty spot in Goa's hinterland side, has been a place visited by Goans who love to go here due to the natural scenic beauty of the place. However all such places need maintenance and help from the government if they should be promoted as the ideal tourist destinations for the world tourist. This  factor seems to be neglected as far as the Mayem lake is concerned and the local people of Mayem are therefore unhappy with the attitude of the government towards this beautiful spot which they feel is not being given due attention.

Blaming the tourism department, the residents of Mayem village feel that the tourism department has not undertaken any maintenance and development of the lake surroundings which is an incentive for tourists visiting the place.

Mayem lake is indeed a beautiful tourist spot with peaceful and serene surroundings but unfortunately lacks proper development as a result of which the condition of the lake is deteriorating. This has happened despite the residents of the area demanding from the authorities that they carry out some beautification activities of the lake and develop its surroundings . However there has been no response from the government.

The local population is therefore bitter with the government that such a beautiful spot has been neglected  by the government thereby denying the local population a means of generating some business revenue through the avenues with visiting tourists as also help the farmers around the area to get sufficient water supply for their fields and agricultural farms.

The lake which has a perimeter of about a kilometer has about three water streams locally named as " vhodlem tollem ( big lake)", "Shetwad Zara" and " Dhaktem Tollem"( small lake). the water of Vhoddlem tollem is used for fields  and agricultural farms while water from dhaktem tollem is utilised by farmers . Both these streams meet at 'fovachi kond" and this water is used for rabi crop cultivation by farmers from Kumbharwada, Sashtiwada and Sawnwada.

The main water source of the lake is the "shetwad zara"  which has weakened thereby leading to a drop in the lake's water level. During the past years the farmers used to de-silt the lake near its main stream but now with many villagers giving up farming , this practice has been discontinued.

The villagers are now expecting the panchayat and the  government authorities to see that the water resources are not affected and are maintained properly,

It is a general feeling among the villagers of Mayem lake that due to the basic amenities not being available at the lake tourists are reluctant to pay a visit to the place. According to them the negligence of the authorities towards beautification of the lake and the lack of proper facilities like boating, standard eateries and restaurants, cottages with proper amenities at reasonable rates, good gardens etc, the tourists have slowly declined and now rarely visit the spot. Also ironically, the private tourist buses which take tourists on sight seeing tours around the state of Goa do not include Mayem lake in their tour itinerary due to which the locals lose out on any such business.

The general perception  therefore is that while Mayem lake is a beautiful spot the government needs to step in and improve and enhance the facilities which have ample scope for development which could help restore and beautify this area with gardens, recreation facilities, restaurants, etc to ensure that this beautiful spot on is added more strongly on the tourist map of Goa.

Goa in the rains entices tourists with bargain deals

Goa in the rains is supposed to be as exotic as Goa in the winter. However this charm of Goa in the rains has to be seen to be believed. Green verdant fields dotted with palm trees and a rain soaked environment where the rain spikes hard into the red soil evoking life out of the Goan earth is a sight to behold because like they say, when it rains in Goa it actually pours.

The boat cruises are another delight to savour in Goa at this time of the year when the rains beckon Goa like a beautiful veil and cruising on the Goan boats can be an wanton attraction for all ages,  from the die hard romantic to the fagged out businessman or the relaxed octogenarian finding the pleasure too hard to resist in Goa.

For some people in northern India, this is also a good time to check out on a vacation to Goa since the schools in Delhi are normally on vacation mode and prices are always at its bottom at this time of the year, providing a great Goan holiday.

What's making the holidays more enticing to tourists this year are the tariffs of hotels in Goa which have dropped to almost half or lesser in the starred hotels while the smaller or medium sized hotels have also reduced rates by over 50 %.

So it is a win-win situation for the avid tourist to Goa as well as the hotel sector. While Indian tourists come to Goa to avail of the twin benefits of reduced tariffs and Goa in the monsoons delight, the foreign tourists are normally here to enjoy Goa in the rains.

So among he various packages on offer , the three day packages are normally picked up faster by the tourists  where a three day stay ranges between 12,000 and 21,000 which include transfers from and to the airport/railway station, with three meals a day and in certain cases, use of the hotel spa and the swimming pool.

Some starred hotels have gone full blown in the offer package with a reputed five star hotel in the south of Goa offering a tantalising package for three nights which includes transfers from airport/railway station, welcome drinks, all buffet meals, sight seeing, swimming pool usage, boat cruising, free use of steam and sauna and daily beverages for one hour, all at a bargain price of Rs 17999 which also throws in a complimentary stay for a child under 12 years of age. Click here for more details.

However competition is stiff in this times and the same offer as above is beaten by another starred hotel in south Goa which offers similar facilities for as little as 11,999 if booked 2 weeks in advance of the check-in date.North Goa is also not far behind in the rates-on-offer packages. A prominent north Goa hotel has a tempting monsoon package starting at Rs 12,800 which goes upto Rs 21,150. Other packages also range from 15,200 up to Rs 35,999, for a couple for a two night stay. Click here for more details

The serviced apartments in Goa are also showing a steady rise in bookings because many tourists find the apartments very convenient and have a better freedom to move around in Goa as well as keeping their room tariffs even lower while enjoying similar benefits.

The tourism department in Goa in the meanwhile is upbeat about the number of tourists in June this year which has shown a steady rise in the arrivals of tourists to the state. No doubt this is the best time to visit a must-see fun-filled, sun-kissed and now rain-drenching destination such as Goa.

The rickshaw run celebrations in Goa.

And so after trudging down 4000 kms you would think they were tired in the rickshaw run spring 2009. But hold on. They all had a blast of a party in south Goa at Colva to let their hair down longer and longer after all the hair splitting journey they adventured with .

So nobody missed out on the action to tell all the tales of the rickshaw run from Shillong to Goa and the whole party place was agog with music song and a lot of noise. Beer flowed into the sun drenched souls who made the journey in little less than two weeks while the music gobbled a part of their unbridled attention.

Here are some pictures

 

The rickshaw run traditionally culminates with a game of cricket at the final destination. However , Goa being a soccer crazy place, the loyalites were quickly switched to a game of soccer and the next day followed with a football match against a local Goa based colva team and the soccer-crazies among the rickshaw run participants turned up in the unmistakable rickshaw run jerseys as one unit to put up a brilliant fight and although the final score read, 2-0 in favour of the local team, the match was fought much more evenly and had all the thrills and also the laughs for the folks to remember for a long time to come. Below are some pics.

The rickshaw run will await a send off from Goa to the next destination in India by the Indian winter of September 2009. Till then!

Rickshaw run teams storm into finish line at Goa

The rickshaw run spring 2009, organised by the adventurists from UK saw plenty of teams among the 47  that originally set out from Shillong making it to the finishing line set at Colva thereby completing the rigorous 4000 km journey in the unbelievable conveyance of the rickshaw to Goa.

Receiving them at the finish line at Colva were Dan Wedgwood and Neeraj Lama of the Adventurists who had a personal tete-a-tete with each team converging on the finish line at Colva in Goa. The scene was one of great sharing of experiences as team after team were overflowing with their bit of experiences which they were keen to share with the other teams who made it to Goa from Shillong in less than 2 weeks time.

The whole atmosphere therefore was one of great fun, laughter and revelry with the tiredness of the teams disappearing after meeting the other members of participating teams leaving an open ground for great camaraderie and fun at the finish line in Goa.

So teams form the United Kingdom to Australia and Belgium, to New zealand made it to the finish line with only a few teams still awaited to drive in their rickshaws with a blazing trail of experiences behind them. Plenty of photographs and videos of the experiences were being shared and the joy of the experience was simply hard to contain among the participants who finally landed in Goa.

At the finish line was also an "ARRIVAL BOARD" put up by the adventurists, to details the chronological order of arrivals with a one-liner space to gist out the experience. There were some hilarious lines among those columns which the participants wrote down themselves.

On the arrival board among the many comments, one team, the "Not 2 Shaw" wrote - 'Run off road by lorry, missed sleeping goat by inches'. Another "the Phew" mentioned "'Chief of Police gave us his mobile number!" while the Blazing Chillies jotted to record - "nearly hitting an elephant (with no lights)"

Rickshaw Run teams to blaze into Goa this week.

The "rickshaw run" has captured the imagination of Indians all along its route with absolute disbelief written all over the faces of many in the country who have witnessed the white skinned Europeans or some unfamiliar faces riding the 150 cc travel-bounty of many Indians to be in the command of people from various parts of the world and that too on Indian terrains.

Indeed who could ever imagine, that the 150 cc 2 stroke 3 wheeler auto rickshaw to be a vehicle which could inspire a true sense of adventure? That the vehicle essentially meant for travel within the city could take the distance of 4000 km and thereby raise over half a crore for charity besides fostering a cultural interlude between the east and the west?

To the surprise and bewilderment of many however, the Indian rickshaw has done all of the above and much more. The Adventurists , a UK based company who initially rode on this brilliant idea to pioneer the rickshaw run since December 2006 couldn't be more satisfied with the outcome.

The whole adventure of the rickshaw run has caught on the spirit of many all over the world who after being caught by the bug have decided to take the plunge into this unique form of adventure. The next step is simple. Little preparation and even lesser luggage is all you take along with you as you fly down to India and launch yourself into driving the auto-rickshaw over thousands of kilometres of questionable terrain.

The route is continuously changed to keep the adventure a challenge. Daniel Wedgwood of the Adventurists informs that "the routes are changed once we get the odd team surviving one route, which makes them move it to somewhere more tougher and the whole route is planned to be covered in a vague time of two weeks without specific route plans" .

So from the 23rd of April 2009 onwards, there was a warm welcome awaiting the 47 participating teams who were to cross the finish line at Colva in Goa anytime from that day after having left from Shillong on the 12th of April 2009. So a total of 113 participants were keenly awaited by Daniel Wedgwood from the league of adventurists International Ltd and his Indian head of "the adventurists' Mr Neeraj Lama at Colva. Participants hailing from countries such as England, USA, New Zealand, Finland, Belgium, Australia and Sri-lanka were all being awaited for the finale of the Spring edition of the Rickshaw run from Shillong to Goa.

Shillong-Goa rickshaw run teams

The participants of the Rickshaw run spring 2009 on a trip from Shillong to Goa have selected some very catchy names and some very enterprising people inside those rickshaws. Here's a feature of some of them

This is the team called "Goaing for Gold" and comprises of Mat Collingwood and Joe Holdsworth . Hailing from England and Wales,they call the rickshaw a tuk tuk.So this is a team agog about this whole run and want to help charities with their adventurism

 

This team is called "shillong way to goa" and comprises of Nick and Andrew from England.They seem to revel in the lack of ground support, unplanned routes and nil knowledge of local languages and what they call very little common sense. In their words " We will be driving a vehicle with a top speed of 30mph. All we have is an antique compass. "

Team " Goabusters" from UK is made up of David , Danny and Nick who find India to be a thrilling experience and so different from Britain. Hilariously, they question whether a driving licence in India is a benefit or a curse and are keeping their fingers crossed on their driving luck.

Now this one is called "Fatmandu'. Can 3 people with a combined weight of over 200kg drive a 150 cc Rickshaw across a field in Kent, let alone 5000km across India? Guess "Fatmandu" believe they can!

This is the team of the "red Hot Chilli Pappadums" and they just cant wait to hop on their rickshaw and get the excitement of the adventure for charity. Comprises of Patricia and Jaco from the UK and Poland

 

There are 47 such teams in either twos or threes and all of them are expected to converge on Goa by this weekend, the 25th Of April 2009 and have a ball of a time when they meet up on the beaches of Goa