The Goa tourism department has decided to host international rock shows by high profile artistes like Shakira or Bryan Adams to attract more tourists to the beach destination from this year onwards.
The State Tourism Minister, Mr Nilkant Halarnkar, in a reply tabled on the floor of the House has listed international rock shows as one of the strategies to woo visitors here. He said these rocks shows would be part of annual tourism calendar planned by the department.
The Minister told the Assembly on Tuesday that the department intends to also start the International Sea Food Festival at Miramar, which was stopped years ago.
According to him, other activities on the annual calendar will include Heritage Festival, International Kite Festival, Beach Cricket and Volleyball and Goa Sand Art Festival.
The Minister also said the state has decided to formulate a high power taskforce to decide on the way ahead for the tourism sector. The tourism taskforce will be headed by the Chief Minister and will include all the political parties’ representatives, bureaucrats, NGOs and other stakeholders.
Mr Halarnkar said the committee will decide about various infrastructural projects needed for Goa like Golf Course, Entertainment Parks, Boxing Arenas, Formula One Race tracks and others.
“The committee will also decide about their preferential locations,” the Minister said adding that based on the inputs provided by the committee further detailed tourism action plan could be worked out.
The purpose behind forming this committee is to continue tourism industry promotion in Goa, irrespective of which government is in power or whoever is the tourism minister, he said.