KPMG, T&L to prepare Goa Tourism master plan

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23 Jul 2014, 11:05 am

Panaji, July 22 (NITN): The Goa government's Tourism Department has announced the appointment of a consortium of KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. and Tourism & Leisure Advisory Services Sl. (T&L) to prepare a 25-year tourism master plan for Goa.

Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said, “We are expecting best-in-class output from this consultancy assignment. 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. 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 expected to lay down the framework for deciding which tourism products to focus on and identify the ‘right type of tourist’ for Goa.

It will develop a vision for tourism in Goa over the short-term (5-year), medium-term (15-year) and long-term (25-year). This includes setting clear goals on elements such as number of tourists, average days spent and expenditure per tourist, contribution to Goa’ economy, job creation and entrepreneurship opportunities for Goans, and increasing environmentally sustainable tourism.

A study of Goa’ tourist carrying capacity is proposed to provide guidance while quantifying the vision elements.

The Tourism Master Plan will suggest changes to each element of the tourist value chain. This includes direct tourist products/activities such as hotels, events, car rental etc. and indirect tourist products/activities such as food suppliers, furniture, handicraft suppliers etc.

The tourist value chain is critically dependent on infrastructure enablers such as water, power, waste, communication, health and safety and specific recommendations on each element will be made.

Nikhil Desai, Director Tourism, Department of Tourism said, “Goa Tourism is going through exciting times. Our marketing and promotional activities are bearing fruit with significant growth being witnessed in both domestic and international tourist numbers. Our tourist product portfolio is evolving with several quality products and activities such as seaplane services and whitewater rafting being introduced. The Master Plan 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.”

Special emphasis will be placed on cultural, heritage, eco-tourism, hinterland, wellness, MICE, wedding and adventure tourism in the plan. The consultants will also develop a Tourism policy and institutional framework. The tourism policy will include framework for resource allocation, investment , incentives and initiatives, an official statement said.

Inputs for the master plan will come from in-depth market survey of current and potential tourists, interactions with international and domestic tour operators, airlines and travel agents.

A committee will be formed to monitor progress of the consultants on a regular basis. The time frame for drawing the plan is 38 weeks from the date of commencement and the consultants will be responsible for converting the master plan into executable projects.

KPMG is one of the world’s largest professional advisory services firms and is present in 155 countries. T&L is an international consulting firm specialized in the tourism and leisure sector and is headquartered in Spain.

#Goa Tourism master plan

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