Tourist arrivals crossed 3 million mark in 2013 (ToI)

TNN | Jan 23, 2014, 04.16 AM IST PANAJI: An overall growth of 12% in tourist arrivals bolstered the tourism industry in 2013. Statistics with the tourism department show that in 2013, 31.21 lakh tourists visited Goa as compared to 27.87 lakh in 2012. With this increase, for the first time Goa tourism crossed the three million mark. Tourism minister Dilip Parulekar said that while international tourist arrivals went up by 9.27%, the growth in arrivals of domestic tourists went up by 12.47%. "The overall tourism growth pegged at around 12% is a record high for the state," he said. There's hope for 2014. Goa tourism had projected landings of 1,400 charters in Goa in the current season. "Till December-end (2013) 550 charters have landed. I expect more charters during the next two months," Parulekar said. The record arrival of tourists this season, he said, has been due to aggressive marketing and public relation campaigns supported by regular participation in domestic and international road shows. He added that introduction of safety measures and focus on alternative tourism in hinterland and culture, attractive packages during the monsoon, and multiple holiday options have also contributed in the growth of Goa tourism. While there has been some concern that tourist arrivals from conventional markets like UK have been falling during the last few years, the trend saw a change this season. "Revival has been seen in arrival of tourists from the key UK market with a growth of 12% over 2012. 1.45 lakh tourists from UK visited Goa in 2013 as compared to 1.19 lakh in 2012," Parulekar said. GTDC chairman Nilesh Cabral said that the increasing inflow of tourists to Goa, indicates tremendous potential for growth that Goa has as a tourist destination. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Tourist-arrivals-crossed-3-million-mark-in-2013/articleshow/29225958.cms