Indian Ambassadors to Croatia, Iceland and Israel have extended an invitation to Goa to promote its tourism facets, to boost travel and trade ties with Goa in the future. Interacting with Nilesh Cabral, chairman, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), all three Indian Ambassadors expressed the desire of promoting Goa Tourism in their respective countries in the wake of several commonalities of various aspects on the tourism front.
Welcoming the initiatives for an exchange of tourism ties between Goa and Croatia, Iceland and Israel, Cabral elaborated on new tourism activities and initiatives recently launched by Goa Tourism that would interest the three countries. He also impressed on Goa Tourism’s efforts to augment tourism infrastructure, safety measures and hygiene for tourists visiting the state.
Cabral said, “We would also like travel and tour operators from Croatia, Iceland and Israel to visit Goa to witness and experience the various tourism facets, so that they go back and enthuse their nationals to visit Goa, which is now a 365-day tourist destination. We have recently launched a new interactive website and mobile app, which enable tourists to access information on Goa and plan their vacations accordingly, at the click of a button.”
The three Indian Ambassadors were also shown a brief documentary on Goa Tourism giving insights on the state’s tourism aspects.
Sandeep Kumar, Ambassador of India to Croatia, said, “Croatia wants to expand its tourism sector and we are looking at an exchange of concrete ideas in promotion of tourism and cultural ties between Croatia and Goa, and furthering it with business retreats and investment opportunities in Goa and India.”
Rajiv Kumar Nagpal, Ambassador of India to Iceland, said, “We see a huge prospect of collaborations on the tourism front between Goa and Iceland, with focus on cuisine and food, considering the fact that there is a sizeable Indian population in Iceland.”
Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to Israel, said, “There is a lot of commonality between Israel and Goa with regards to pilgrimage and heritage tourism; and we can collaborate on these aspects to further tourism ties between the two sides.”
Representatives from the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) were also present for the interaction session where several suggestions and ideas were shared on promoting tourism and cultural ties between Goa and the three countries. Insights were also given into monsoon tourism and night life in Goa.
Also present for the interaction session was Sanjeev C. Gauns Dessai, director of tourism; U B Pai Kakode, director of agriculture; Arvind Khutkar, OSD – Department of Tourism; Rajesh Kale, deputy director; and others. Kakode also shared views on promotion of horticulture and floriculture between Goa and Israel.
