Goa targets drink, drugs as new tourist season starts

Panaji, India — The Indian resort state of Goa is getting tough on drink, drugs and loud music as the new tourist season starts, to restore its tarnished reputation after the shock murder of a Briti

Goa most expensive tourist destination in India

Panaji - Goa, one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, is also becoming the most expensive destination in the country, say tour operators.

Goa's tourism industry anxious after first flight cancellation

PANAJI: With the cancellation of the season's first chartered flight bringing in foreign tourists, Goa's tourism industry is apprehensive of a drop in business in the wake the recent terror attacks in

Jet Airways expands domestic network

(September 4, 2008) - Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, will introduce three new daily services from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam, Goa and Pune, effective September 15, 2008.

Pacheco turns heat on tourist police

PANAJI - The tourism minister Francis Xavier (Mickky) Pacheco lamented the criticism against his ministry and sought the Home ministry’s support to boost tourism and related activities in the state.

UK Indian doctor sets shop in Goa for medical tourists

A virtual tide in British medical tourists to India has prompted an Indian-born doctor to enter the overseas treatment market by opening a centre in Goa.

Goa's monsoon tourism a huge hit among domestic tourists

Panaji - Monsoon tourism has become a huge hit with the domestic travellers as they refuse to get away from beaches even in the heavy rains.

Global recession hits Goa tourism industry

PANAJI - Global recession has badly hit Goa's tourism industry forcing almost 20 percent downfall in tourist arrival to the coastal state, experts feel.

Hoardings to tell tourists dos and don'ts

PANAJI: When in Rome, you can do as the Romans do, but in Goa you better do what the government tells you to.

Goa is safe for tourists, say UK tour operators

LONDON: The murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling got Goa a bad press but tour operators here insist that there has been no let up in bookings since it is still considered a safe destination.

Malaria likely to affect tourism

A recent spurt in cases of malaria along South Goa's coastal belt has become a matter of grave concern for tourists, locals and authorities alike.
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Oil on beaches puts off tourists

PANAJI: The gooey brown stuff that currents are depositing onto Goa’s beaches are turning people away. This could spin off into a major problem for the tourism industry.

"The sea is not fit to go in," said Laxi, a visitor from Bangalore who was at Benaulim. Hotels have been hit and L’Amour in Benaulim has lost five guests in the ... read more

4 tourists including 2 foreigners drown to death in Goa

PANAJI: Four tourists, including two foreigners, died due to drowning on North Goa's two different beaches on Sunday evening.

Two UK nationals, who had gone for a swim at Morjim Beach were carried away in the waters by the strong current, police said.

Their bodies were later fished out of the water by locals with the help of ... read more

A tourist ghetto

A tropical paradise of tree-lined golden beaches, seaside restaurants, lush greenery and serenity. This is the happy, smiling face of Goa, the image that attracts people to visit from across the world, and the one the authorities like to display. But there are two other faces as well.

German tourist molested in Goa

Panaji - "INCREDIBLY UNSAFE India" could be the new catch line for Goa's tourism industry. A young German woman was allegedly molested on the beach in Goa bringing to fore yet again safety and security of foreign tourists in the coastal state.

Goa Tourism Minister under attack from UK, US, Japan, Russia and Israel

While the rape and murder of Scarlett Keeling has led to Britain updating its travel advisory to Goa, on March 7, other countries like the US, Japan, Russia and Israel have all separately questioned the Goa Tourism Ministry with concern.

For foreign tourists, Goa offers cheap thrills

PANJIM: They arrive in Goa like white chicken and leave golden-brown. They pass a lovely week eating, drinking and sunbathing, and all for less than five pounds a day. Goa may be one of the most expensive spots in India, but for the foreign tourist it is still luxury on the cheap.

Plan to draft ex-armymen to tackle tourist related crimes

New Delhi - The government plans to form a tourist-friendly security organisation manned by former army personnel to effectively tackle harassment and misbehaviour in places frequented by foreigners, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said here Wednesday. The move comes in the wake of the suspected rape and murder of a 15-year-old British tourist ... read more

India police covered up UK tourist murder: minister

NEW DELHI - Indian police deliberately covered up the murder of a 15-year-old British teenage girl who was found dead in Goa last month, the state's tourism minister said on Monday.

Foreign women must be more careful, Goa chief says after girl’s ‘murder’

Women tourists who visit Goa, where a teenage British girl was found dead last month, cannot expect to wander wherever they please after midnight without fear of the possible consequences, the chief minister of the Indian state said yesterday.

Digambar Kamat said that foreign women should take greater responsibility for their personal ... read more