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Film festival to give a boost to Goa tourism

Infrastructure to get a facelift

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Shashwati Ghosh Goa
The Rs 1,500 crore tourism industry in Goa is looking forward to the International Film Festival scheduled in December to open up further avenues of attracting tourists.
 
The business class is not only looking forward to glossy coverage in international media, it is also looking for the creation of additional infrastructure promised by the state government for hosting the film festival.
 
Along with the old medical college at Campal near Panjim which is getting a revamp to host the show, Panjim roads, currently in a bad shape, are also expected to get a facelift.
 
Work is already on to ease traffic congestion by four laning the road from Panjim via Miramar to Dona Paula.
 
The tourism sector is also expecting a facelift for the whole capital city along with an additional Patto bridge to connect the airport.
 
Ralph de Sousa, group chairman of the deSouza group of hotels and resorts, said, "Goa has always benefited from major events such as this. We hope that the additions to infrastructure this time will be significant. While Panjim gets the maximum influx of tourists, and is long overdue for some facelift, we are hoping that the proposal for an international airport at Pernem will become a reality. The airport at Dabolim is controlled by the Navy and so no direct flight is allowed. Once we have a separate international airport, then the scheduled international flights can land. That will be a real money spinner for the Goan tourism industry."
 
"Goa as a winter destination, competes with places such as South East Asian destinations like Malaysia, Singapore, Cuba, Yuganda, Mexico and Namibia. It is as exotic but we need some immediate alterations in infrastructure to make it as attractive as those destinations,'' he added.
 
de Sousa, also the chairman of the Tours and Travels Association in Goa, feels that tourists will have a better incentive for coming in if work can start for the proposed golf courses in north and south Goa.
 
"Government has earmarked only a sum of Rs 50 crore for hosting the film festival, including the facelift of Kala Academy and the building of the stage. So these infrastructural additions will need private participation. We just hope that the government is able to find support from the private sector to present a feel of exotic Goa to the visitors during the festival,'' he added.

 
 

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First Published: Aug 10 2004 | 12:00 AM IST

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