Co-working spaces for visitors soon on Goa beaches: Tourism official

Panaji: Co-working spaces for people visiting Goa will soon come up on the Morjim and Ashwem beaches in the coastal state, a tourism department official has said.

The Goa government wants to promote the state as a tourism destination not only for its beaches but also for other activities, state tourism secretary Sanjeev Ahuja told PTI at the ITB Berlin, the world's leading travel trade show.

The three-day event began on March 5.

"We want to invite more tourists, especially from Europe and high-spending tourists from other destinations by providing them a round experience," he said.

The Goa tourism department wants to give other reasons also to travellers to come to the state, the official said.

He said the concept of co-working spaces on the beaches has been introduced by the department led by Minister Rohan Khaunte wherein the state will give nomad visas to the people who can come here, work and also enjoy the beaches.

The facilities at Morjim and Ashwem beaches are taking shape and will be ready soon, the official said.

The state government has already written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the External Affairs Ministry to provide nomad visas for such travellers, he said.

The state government is in talks with the Centre for a "positive consideration" and things will materialise soon after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he said.

Speaking about regenerative tourism, Ahuja said the state government wants to involve the local people, culture, cuisine, festivals and even farmers in the tourism spectrum through this concept.

There are very few people who would know that Goa has huge temples which can be developed from the tourism perspective, he said, adding that even churches are covered under this concept.

The state tourism department has already signed an agreement with Temple Connect (an organisation dedicated to the revival and development of the temple eco-system) for this purpose, the official said.

Besides beach tourism, importance is also being given to spiritual tourism through the concept of regenerative tourism, he said.

Visitors will also be given an experience of spice and cashew plantations in the coastal state. "We want to give them an experience of having food directly from the farm," the official said.

He said activities like hiking have also been introduced for visitors by the tourism department.

The carnival, organised in the state every year, is already being promoted by the department. "It will also promote the festivals like Chikhal Kalo, where people play with mud. It is like the Tomatina festival (a tomato-throwing spectacle in Spain)," he said.