Tag: Asia

Goa Events

Beach weddings take Goa by storm

Goa has always been a hot Honeymoon Destination but couples are suddenly deciding that it is also a great place to get married. And is there a more romantic setting to get married than at a Goan beach?

A spew of mega beach weddings are planned in Goa with already 10 beach weddings approved by the Goa Tourism department. Since beach weddings are considered “minor events” in Goa, all it takes to get permission is approval from the Goa Tourism Director and the payment of a fee of Rs. 5000 fee.

One of my close relatives got married in Goa recently and she was full of praise for the destination. While many people choose to get married in their home towns or cities, it has become quite the fashion to jet to Goa and get married there instead. Not just the couple and their families but relatives and friends make the trip too, often booking out the entire hotel.

That said, some couples prefer to stay at a different hotel than their friends and family. “We stayed at a small Homestay while our guests stayed at a big 5 star Hotel. We wanted to have our privacy and some time to ourselves” said the couple.

And it is not just the Goan beach that becoming a hot wedding destination but the Goan river as well. Goan ferry boats offer couples the once in a lifetime chance to get married on a boat. Larger than the usual ferry boats that transport locals across the Mandovi River and far more luxurious, these special ferry boats are big enough to hold between 50 to 100 people as well as a full fledged buffet and dance floor.

And as Goa becomes more and more popular as a wedding destination, you also have Wedding Planners who take care of the entire wedding hassle, leaving you free to enjoy your special day. All the girl has to do, it seems, is to get her man to pop the question!

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Goa Tourism

Goa to get 35 lakh tourists this year, says minister

There is good news for Goa’s tourism industry.

Tourist numbers in Goa are expected to swell to 35 lakh during the forthcoming season, state Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said Wednesday. The increase in tourist numbers is mainly due to the domestic tourists who have been visiting Goa. 

Annually, Goa attracts 22 lakh domestic visitors to its beaches and nightlife spots every year. Goa has already attracted over 16 lakh tourists and December would see the turnout double.

The minister has also predicted a rise of 50,000 in the number of foreign tourist arrivals this year to the 4.5 lakh foreign tourists who visit the state annually.

All in all, good news for an industry that is the basis for the livelihood of a large portion of the state’s population!

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Goa Scouts win 2nd Prize

Being a Scout Leader myself, I was very happy to hear that the Goa Scouts won second place at the national level. The award was presented to Goa during the national council meeting of the Bharat Scouts and guides held recently in New Delhi.

The award is in recognition of Goa achieving second position in the overall average percentage increase in the census of the scouts and guides wing for the year 2011-12.

As per the 2009 census, there were around 22,000 scouts and guides in 138 member schools in Goa. This number has swollen to approximately 31,000 scouts and guides in 2012 with 31 new schools joining the association.

“It is for the first time in the history of the movement in Goa that appreciable growth has been achieved. This was possible due to sustained efforts of promotion, visionary planning and unanimous cooperation and support extended by the member schools,” the Goa Bharat scouts and guides association said in a statement.

In todays day and age of television, Facebook and online games, it is nice to see children in Goa taking part in outdoor activities and making real friends. In addition, the values of the Scouts (like “Do a good deed everyday” and “Be Prepared”) will surely come in handy for these children when they grow up!

Sustainable Goa Tourism

Visa On Arrival in Goa hopeful

There seems to be good news and bad news for the tourism industry in Goa. 

The good news is that the Indian government has decided to to ease restrictions on tourist visas that made a two-month gap between consecutive visits by foreign nationals to India mandatory. But while this is a step in the right direction, the bad news is that Goa still does not have the Visa On Arrival facility (VoA).

However, the tourism industry is hopeful that the India Government will finally heed Goa’s request to be allowed to issue Visas on Arrival (VoA). 

In my many years of experience in the tourism industry, the one thing that I have found to be most effective in increasing tourist visitors to a destination is by relaxing visa rules. Obama has understood this and as a result, the procedures to get a US visa have been drastically simplified. My mother got a 10 year US visa recently and even my sister easily got a US visa. 

Russia, on the other hand, still believes in making tourist visas as difficult to get. And that is one of the reasons why tourists prefer not to go to Russia. 

Goa, on the other hand, has been pressing for a simplified visa procedure for quite some time now.  

Nilesh Cabral, Chairman, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), has rightly described the decision to ease the two-month gap as a “good thing, a good step” but only the first step. Cabral said he is very happy that the Government of India has heeded the several requests from Goa government and the Goa tourism trade to ease the restriction. “Now, I hope they consider our request to enable Goa to issue VoA as that would be immensely beneficial to Goa tourism”.

And indeed it will. Travelling is difficult enough without having to go through the extra trouble of getting a visa. Thailand has understood this and offers Visas on Arrival for a number of countries. This is why Thailand is one of the most popular destinations worldwide. And the tourist numbers keep rising. 

Ralph de Souza, Spokesperson, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), said that this will particularly help Goa to cater to the 80 per cent Finnish tourists who visit Goa. If we can issue visa on arrival in Goa, the sagging Scandinavian market will be revived. We were losing lots of British tourists who were long stayers in Goa. This segment of tourists will come back now,” Souza said.

Presently, visa on arrival is only issued in the four metros of Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. This means that presently, if tourists want to avail of VoA, they have to come via Mumbai, which adds to their cost. This also works against direct charters landing in Goa. 

With the world economy down, India and Goa must try and do everything in their power to attract foreign tourists to the country. And a Visa on Arrival is one of the most effective means of doing so. The tourism industry in Goa provides livelihood to a large portion of the population and it is time that the Government did all it could to help this struggling industry. 

Not only should the Visa on Arrival facilitity be made available in Goa, the number of countries that are included should also be increased. While it is understandable that there are security concerns that need to be kept in mind, a balance between security and tourism must be found. 

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Casino Royale Goa Packages

Mitaroy Goa Hotel is a Heritage Hotel situated 2 minutes from the Casino Royale Goa Jetty.

For all our guests who enjoy staying so close to the Casino Royale Goa Jetty, we now offer a Special Casino Royale Goa Package that includes:

  • 3 Days and 2 Nights of accommodation in a Heritage Suite
  • Full Goan Buffet Breakfast 
  • Free Beer and Wine throughout your stay
  • 2 Nights Complimentary entry to Casino Royale Goa
  • Rs. 6,000/- worth of One Time Play (OTP) chips
  • Free Airport Pick Up and Drop
  • Free Pick Up and Drop from Casino
  • Complimentary multi-cuisine buffet dinner and live entertainment onboard
  • Unlimited house brand alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages onboard
  • 24 Hour Check Out, subject to availability
  • Free Bottled Mineral Water throughout your stay
  • Luxury Bath Amenities
  • Welcome Cocktail on Arrival

Casino Royale Goa Package: Rs. 28,000

Please make your reservations well in advance since we are often booked out quite early.

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