Jose Pinto Stephen

Goa is the smallest state in India. But it has a lot to offer to the tourists of all kinds. And now a High level delegation from the Government of Goa under the leadership of Hon. Francisco CJA De Souza (Deputy Chief Minister of Goa), Hon. Dilip D. Parulekar (Minister for Tourism of Goa) and Mr. Nikhil U Desai GCS (Managing Director of GTDC) is on a Goa Tourism Road Show and touring some of the major cities across the USA to promote tourism in Goa. They had their first stop at Crown Plaza at Times Square; Manhattan and major tour operators and travel agents in and around New York City and prominent media personalities attended this prestigious event. Mr.Jitin Hingorani (Jingo Media) was the Emcee of this event. Mrs.Sujata Thakur, Regional Director of Incredible India in New York gave an introductory talk and she recollected her pleasant memories of her Goan trips in the past. Hon. Francisco De Souza welcomed everyone to have a visit in Goa and he explained why people are repeatedly visiting Goa. He opinioned Goan cuisine is one of the main attractions in Goa.

He said Goan fish curry and prawn curry is world famous and is available in major countries of the world. Then Mr. Nikhil gave a power point presentation and he explained what Goa could offer to the international tourists. A briefing from his presentation is given below. Goa has a Coastline of 105 kilometer and Goa is easily accessible from Bombay the financial capitol of India and Bangalore the software capitol of India. Goa enjoys the tropical climate, a very pleasant weather. Goa has Monsoon from June to September, mild winter from November to February and summer from March to May While the rest of India was ruled by the Britishers Goa was controlled by the Portuguese. It was a Portuguese colony for centuries and Goa got liberated in 1961 and it became an integral part of India. People of all cultures and religions are peacefully coexisting in Goa. So Religious Tourism is a major part of Goa’s Tourism activities. It is a major pilgrim spot for Roman Catholics across the globe. Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated on 3rd December of every year and it attracts hundreds of thousands of domestic and National level tourists every year. The Decennial celebration of the exposition of the sacred relic of St. Francis Xavier will start from 22nd November 2014 and it will continue to January 2015.

The organizers are expecting unlimited number of religious tourists from domestic and International levels to attend this event and the preparations are already started to receive vast number of pilgrims. The famous Christian festivals in Goa are Carnival, Feast of St Francis Xavier, Christmas, Sao Joao (The feast of St John the Baptist on June 24th), Famous Hindu festivals in Goa are Shigmo (This is Goa’s answer to Holi, which is a festival of color), Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali (The festival of lights) Famous Churches in Goa are Basilica of Bom, Se Cathedral, Church of St. Francis of Assissi, St.Cajetan Church, Church of Our Lady of Rosary, Nunnery of Santa Monica, Ruins of Church of St.Augustine, Viceroy’s Arch, Reis Magos Church, Church of Mae de Deus, Church of St. Alex, Church of St. Ana Rachol Seminary Famous Temples in Goa are Shree Bhagavati, Brahma Temple, Shree Chandranath, Datta Mandir, Shree Gopal Ganapati, Kamakshi Saunsthan Shiroda, Shree Lairai Temple, Mahadev Temple, Madanant Temple, Maha Ganapati Mandir, Shree Mahalsa, Shree Mahalaxmi, and Shree Manguesh. Famous Mosques in Goa are Jama Masjid, Safa Masjid (The biggest and most famous of the mosques in Goa, was built in 1560 by Ibrahim Adilshah of Bijapur). Goa has to offer more to the tourists. Ayurveda clinics, Spas and wellness truism are available in almost all major Hotels in Goa.

There are number of Yoga festivals held on every January and it attracts Yoga enthusiasts from all over the world. Tropical spice plantations. Are also attracting tourists and Goa is one of the biggest spice and silk Trade center in south Asia. Elephant washing, sailing activity, diving, Water sports, Island cruses, dolphin spotting and houseboat options also available extensively in Goa. Cuisines of all kinds are available in Goa and it makes the tourists feel at home. Nightlife and parties are a specialty of Goa. Licensed casinos are available in Goa. Goa is the permanent venue for International film festival of India. Goa is also a Film making place in India. Plenty of World’s best and private get always are available in Goa. Goa is the safest place to visit in India. Goa has it’s Own forces to make sure the safety of the tourists. . Visa on arrival facility is available in Goa to the International tourists. Goa is well connected to major cities in India and main cities in Asian countries. Qatar Airways operates direct flights from Doha to Goa and vice versa More attractions in Goa are Goa Heritage Festival at Fontainhas, Monte Music Festival (it celebrates the coming together of western and Indian classical music.) There are quite a few consulates located in Goa British Deputy High Commissioner, German Consulate, Consulate General of Portugal, Austrian Consulate, Italian Consulate are functioning in Goa to help the tourists. To know more about Goa please contact GTDC Tel: (832)-2424001/ 02/ 03 Fax: +(91)-(832)-2423926 / 2430133 Email: reservations@goa-tourism.com Website: www.goa-tourism.com Kindly watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh8iwZtXXHw