PANAJI: Though tourism has become a mainstay of the state economy over the years, it has not been able to attract high-class and high spending foreign tourists mainly because its promotion has not been very effective as compared to Kerala, its main competitor in the international arena from the country.

The director of Tourism, Mr Swapnil Naik said that the state spends over Rs 9 crore plus on national and international promotion by participating in tourism trade fairs, etc besides visual and other publicity. He, however, felt that Goa should have a professional approach in promoting the state, an idea also echoed by Travel and Tourism Association of Goa outgoing president, Mr Ralph de Souza. 
The state’s promotional budget is around one-third of the Kerala budget (of around Rs 35 crore) for promotion of tourism, said Mr Naik adding that the amount was grossly inadequate to match the promotional campaign carried out by Goa’s competitor in attracting foreign tourists.
The tourism director further stated that the promotion of Kerala was being entrusted to a professional promotional agency, while the state’s promotion was entrusted to its bureaucrats who also have to carry out administrative duties and hardly find time to undertake creative planning campaigns to attract tourists. Mr Naik also said that Goa’s participation in various tourism trade fairs, etc has been bringing a lot of tourists but a professional campaign could increase the number manifold and also help in attracting quality and high spending tourists. He went on to add that the tourism industry has requested for better and more promotion in Nordic countries as there was a huge potential to bring in tourists from there.
He said that with the operation of scheduled flights by airlines to and from many countries of eastern and western Europe, the state authorities could promote its natural beauty to attract tourists. He also said that in case the state authorities convince the central government to extend the visa on arrival facility to Goa, the state would be immensely benefited.
Mr de Souza said that Goa should have an effective promotion of state as a tourist destination. He said that money spent on promotion could be utilised for better decor and presentation and that state should produce better brochures. He also said that authorities should also address press conferences where the main news agencies and papers should be invited and ensured that they attend. Mr de Souza said that while promoting Goa, the state authorities should also ensure that adequate infrastructure was created to attract high-class tourists and also to sustain the increase in flow of tourists.
He further said that Goa needed to select proper market for promotion and then accordingly professionally market the state. He also said that a professional agency be appointed to promote Goa in the tourism sector.
Stating that the authorities should increase the budget allocation for the tourism department, which contributed over Rs 800 crore to the state exchequer by way of local and state taxes, he, however, ruled out participation of industry in promotional campaign saying that the industry has already been bled completely and that it was not in a position contribute more. He said that while the other states came to the rescue of the tourism industry during the recent recession, thereby reducing VAT on food and beverages from 12 and 14 per cent to 5 per cent, in Goa a cess of 5 per cent was imposed on room tariff by the state government.