Goa turns focus on Festival Tourism

Expects more than 2.5 lakh tourists for Carnaval to be held from March 1-4, 2014

As part of its strategy to develop Goa as a year-round tourist destination, Goa Tourism has decided to focus on Festival Tourism and is packaging and promoting the various festivals as major tourism events. Dilip Parulekar, Minister for Tourism, Woman & Child Development, Government of Goa along with Nikhil Desai, Director Tourism, Government of Goa and Managing Director, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), addressed the media in Mumbai at Bungalow 9 restaurant to outline the grand plans for this year’s edition of the popular Goa Carnaval which will take place from March 1-4 and will be celebrated in seven cities with the main parade in Panaji on the first day.

“The Carnaval is the highlight of our annual calendar and we want to ensure that this will be an unforgettable experience for locals, as well as visitors to the state. The event is Goa’s tribute to its diverse population and heritage and it aims to spread a message of peace, unity and harmony. Our vision is to see that the Carnaval here becomes as popular as the legendary Brazilian Carnaval,” stated Parulekar. The Minister added that Goa Tourism is keen on promoting the state as a destination for celebrations.

“Goa is a place that induces a contagious celebratory spirit, right from weddings to festivals everything here is celebrated with pomp and fervour. This is why we are also promoting and packaging festivals and events like the Carnaval 2014 followed by Cashew & Coconut Festival and other festivals like Shigmo, Sao Jao, Bonderam and Tirpurari Purnima which have some quaint traditions associated with it and are a testimony to Goa’s rich history. It is also our effort to preserve the heritage and cultural lineage of our state,” stated Parulekar. He said that they expect more than 2.5 lakh tourists to participate in the Carnaval this year, which recorded nearly two lakh tourists last year.

To add that element of glamour and excitement to the proceedings, a Brazilian troupe will be especially flown in for an electrifying Samba performance for the Carnaval this year. Prominent musicians including the Raghu Dixit Project, Strings and some famous home-grown bands will perform at the festival too. It is expected that a fashion show and a fire display will also be included in the celebrations.

What makes the event different this year is that it will feature street performances by musicians at various vantage points across the state, a King Momo contest and increased prize money. The upcoming movie, Youngistan is the partner for the Carnaval and the stars of the movie Jackky Bhagnani and Neha Sharma were also present at the press meet and shared their experiences of Goa and association of the movie with the Carnaval. Anselm Pereira, owner of Bungalow9 announced that the restaurant will be hosting, Carnaval Feast, a grand food festival with music and dance from February 21 to March 2, 2014 to offer a sluice of the Carnavalexperience.

Coinciding with the Goa Carnaval, the Tourism Department is also organising the Food and Culture Festival that will commence on February 28, 2014. According to Desai, the Food and Culture Festival was revived last year after a gap of nine years. Apart from local Goan dishes cuisines of 15 other states of India will also be featured in the Festival. He informed that the parade during Shigmo Festival (March 16-31) will be held in 17 towns this year.

“The Cashew and Coconut Festival is one-of-its’-kind and will be held in mid-May this year. It will be a fun event with lot of activities like cashew stomping and contests like coconut breaking, coconut tree climbing, etc. and cuisine and showcase of handicrafts made from coconut. Our efforts are to showcase the heritage and culture of the state and attract larger number of repeat visitors to the state,” stated Desai.

Goa turns focus on Festival Tourism