Goa the most happening place this Christmas, New Year 2023

Tourism became a major industry, only after the world war-II. It is now recognized as an activitygenerating a number of social and economic benefits. It also creates employment opportunities. Besides promoting national and international understanding, it helps the international economy and raises the living standards of the people with comparatively less investment, unlike many other capital incentive industries.

Tourism today represents around 6 per cent of the global trade and almost 13 per cent of the global consumer spending

Domestic tourism has seen a boom post Covid as the emergence of "revenge tourism" has brought new levels of business to the travel and hospitality sector.

India became Independent in the year 1947, but the tiny State of Goa joined thenational mainstream only a decade and half later. Known as the seat of intellect and enterprise,Goa enjoys a unique combination of nature's endowments.

The most-booked leisure destination for New Year's eve in India at the moment is Goa, according to bookings data shared by tech solutions provider RateGain, which processes hotel and other travel related transactions for travel and hospitality companies.

RateGain Travel Technologies Ltd, which works with about 2,200 companies including 23 hotel chains and 25 online tour operators, said that as of last week, it had processed bookings for 8,300 room nights in December in Goa in the organized hotel industry.

"Even with the ongoing fear of recession around the world, we continue to witness a surge in travel over the next three months in India with locations like Delhi and Goa showing higher levels of activity as compared to pre-Covid levels.

With its wonderful weather, serene beaches to lounge on, the taste of tinkling bubbles all around, and an overwhelming number of gothic buildings and cathedrals lavishly decked for Christmas, Goa carries the perfect picturesque essence.

The coastal State, in all its glory, also constitutes a number of exquisite hotels for Christmas and New Year celebrations. The city has an impressive line-up of places to visit that provides remarkable luxury and experience as a whole.

Old Goa is a historical place that has a vast array of tourist attractions to explore. Some of the most notable things to do in Old Goa are heritage walks, visiting cathedrals and chapels. One can explore the town on cycle tours and enjoy water sports as well as kayaking besides visiting museums and forts.

Old Goa is one of the most beautiful location in Goa. It is popular over the Christmas season because of its old world charm. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is one of the main attraction, where visitors from all over the world come around especially during the Christmas and new year festivities. A midnight service mass is one of the best experiences here. The Basilica of Bom Jesus and the Immaculate Conception Church, are other iconic churches in Goa

Nature has been generous to Goa by giving it a tourist infrastructure which should be the envy of many regions and with the experience of the last few decade, it should be possiblefor the Government to plan this sector, consciously, methodically and carefully by ensuring that its tourism policy harmonizes with its industrial policy and that the social costs of developing this sector does not outweigh its benefits and that its contribution to the State's domestic product improves impressively over years. Experts have opined that high volume, high density mass tourism is not advisable for Goa, as this would accentuate the negative features of tourism and will result in gross mismatch between economic benefits and social costs. What Goa needs is a planned, controlled and well co-ordinated tourism policy.