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The Tourism Department of the Goa government launched two new policies to attract tourists who want to explore the state beyond its beaches which is also expected to benefit the locals. The Home Stay policy will provide incentives for people living in the hinterlands to offer accommodation to tourists, while the Caravan policy will create infrastructure for parking specially built vehicles that can be used for travel, leisure and accommodation.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte announced the policies on Tuesday, stating that they will help tourists understand the culture, heritage and cuisine of Goa. They said the policies would be in force for five years and offer subsidies for upgrading the necessary infrastructure.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the Home Stay policy will primarily benefit the people living in Sanguem, Quepem, Canacona, Sattari, Bicholim and Pernem talukas. “This policy also gives scope for women entrepreneurs as it aims to take tourists to the hinterlands. We have noticed that tourists like to stay in rural areas, especially during the rainy season,” he said as quoted by news agency PTI.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte stated that the state’s culture, heritage and cuisine are revealed to tourists when they explore rural areas. He said that tourists would discover new things that they had missed before.
He explained that the Caravan policy would provide facilities for caravans to park in the beach area and in the countryside, where tourists could enjoy the greenery of the forests.
The first hundred homestays can enjoy a grant of Rs 2 lakh, along with other benefits like domestic tariff for electricity and water, waiving of registration fee and high-speed Internet. The caravan parking facilities will be created in both the beach belt and the rural areas, with a fund of Rs 20 lakh as a subsidy.
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