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In May 2020, a webinar on tourism and hospitality and ideas to take Goa forward took place, as reported here at the Herald Goa. The discussion covered several aspects of the state’s appeal and how it can transform, having been forced into a pause during the spring, including the impact of the state’s casino operators and the view of specific locations as heritage destinations.
On the face of it, Goa has just about everything in place to offer an appealing tourist experience: the state just needs to focus on the key points to maximize its appeal through advertising campaigns. So, here are some of the key areas that should be focussed on when trying to showcase Goa as a top tourist destination.
Focus on the unique constant access to entertainment
Goa isn’t like the rest of India, not becoming a part of the collective subcontinent until the 60s. The cities, culture, attitudes, and what’s on offer differ significantly from much of the rest of India. This aspect should be embraced, with the view of becoming “the Macao of India.” When people go to Macau – also a former Portuguese settlement, they don’t say that they’re going to China. Lean into the uniqueness of the destination, particularly the entertainment side, and make a distinction between going to the rest of India and visiting Goa.
India’s smallest state is best-known for its beaches, nightlife, and music, which all combine to spell a fun and exciting time for visitors on their own. When you add inthe wide-ranging accessibility of the internet in Goa,you can easily bill it as a destination where the fun stops. Like Macau, this can particularly be applied to Goa’s unique offering of gambling, which the webinar noted as being crucial to the local economy. Situated on the capital city-cutting Mandovi River,the state’s popular casino offers night time entertainment to tourists in a unique setting. It's classic venues, such as those in Goa's rich land-based casino scene, that have served as the building blocks for innovations to be made in the Indian online gambling industry. For example, sites likeBetway showcase live casino titles such as Andar Bahar- a digitalized, online version of the traditional Indian card game. You don't have to look far today to see the impact the country's gambling culture has had on wider entertainment, so it'd be a pity to miss out on the land-based Indian casino experience too, while you're in the region. The connectivity and the entertainment access that it grants will particularly resonate with Millennial travelers. Not only do they want to be able to connect to social media and post photos, but many will also want to fill downtime with some form of gaming. Across India, and much of the world,Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile (PUBG Mobile)has become the go-to game for convenient fun on mobiles.