The Minister for Tourism, Rohan A. Khaunte chaired a meeting in the presence of Director of Tourism Kedar Naik, GTDC Managing Director Kuldeep Arolkar, TTAG President Jack Sukhija, online travel partners, tourism stakeholders, delegates and key officials to outline the Department’s focused strategy for promotion of Goa during the upcoming monsoon season and the overall tourism roadmap for 2025.
The meeting focused on shaping a robust PR and marketing strategy to promote Goa as a premier travel destination. Key discussions included the launch of a common unified hashtag to streamline digital promotion and the introduction of a 20-week campaign, with each week themed around a unique aspect of Goa.
KEY POINTS
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Focuse on shaping a robust PR & marketing strategy to promote Goa
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Launch of a common unified hashtag to streamline digital promotion
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Highlighting Department’s ‘Goa Beyond Beaches’ campaign
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Introduction of a 20 week theme based campaign
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Re-evaluating market connections to counter business loss & tap core international markets
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Action against misleading promotions & misrepresentations of Goa on digital platforms
Stakeholders, especially hoteliers, were encouraged to present attractive weekday and weekend rates and packages aligned with these themes.
The Minister stated, “We’ve spent the past weeks aligning with our airline and OTA partners, including players like Airbnb and Agoda, to craft a robust tourism roadmap—particularly for the monsoon. Despite the temporary slowdown following recent events, we entered the first quarter of 2025 with strong indicators in terms of business and numbers.”
Highlighting the Department’s ‘Goa Beyond Beaches‘ campaign, the Minister emphasized the importance of promoting diverse experiences including Sao Joao, Chikal Kalo, and a host of immersive cultural activities that uniquely define monsoon in Goa.
The Minister further stressed the need to re-evaluate market connections and airline-hotel package offerings to counter business loss and tap core international markets, especially the UAE, which remains a crucial contributor to Goa’s inbound travel numbers.
Expressing concern over misleading promotions and misrepresentations of Goa on digital platforms, the Minister emphasized the influence of wrongful messaging and exaggerated portrayals of Goa.
Tourism promotion must reflect the soul of the state—its people, culture, and regenerative experiences. Such advertising will be regulated, and action will be taken where necessary.
