Goan heritage hotels to pull in tourists

With tourism sector becoming a major money earner, Goa has turned its focus on the state's unique culture and heritage for providing major attraction for tourists.

It has identified 20 old, sprawling mansions to be restored and transformed into a heritage line.

Helping them in their job is the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG), which provides advice and expertise to the owners of these old houses if they decide to go for the renovation. While these landed properties in most cases are palatial, the family in most cases did not have the money to carry out the renovations.

Said Ralph de Sousa, chairman GHAG, "The Heritage Line has been devised to serve the twin purpose""renovating these old buildings which represent the old Goan culture and also add them as tourist attraction. These houses have exquisite architecture and need to be restored. The government has proposed to develop a part of the house as heritage guest house where tourists can stay during their visit to Goa.''

"The idea is an innovative one as people love to stay in these heritage mansion which also provides all modern facilities to the guests in a subtle way. These sort of mansion stay houses are popular in Italy, Spain and other parts of Europe. Incidentally, Rajasthan used this idea to a great degree of success by turning its forts into five star hotels. Heritage walk will add a chain of guest houses in Goa, without going into extra construction and spoiling the landscape, but simply by protecting history,'' he added.

The scheme entails that government will arrange for loans with lower interest rate for the owners of these would-be heritage hotels. While the government has already tied up with State Bank of India (SBI) for specially structured hosing loans for renovation, the GHAP is working with the owners to assist them on the kind of renovation each property will need.

As the owners of each heritage property becomes the owners of heritage hotels, GHAP will be monitoring all the work done architecturally.

"Foreigners love to be attached to a piece of history. After the heritage walk is ready in another one years time, we will get tourists not only coming for sun and sand but also for a piece of authentic Goan Portuguese history and a slice of mixed culture that existed in India,'' de Sousa said.