Goa. India’s tiniest state. A jewel in the crown of India and for obvious reasons, everyone’s favorite tourist destination. There seems to be something for everyone in Goa. The beautiful beaches, fringed with gently swaying coconut trees, overlooking the glistening waters of the Arabian Sea, beckon. The cuisine ranges from simple local fare to exotic world cuisine from north to south and across the state. If the younger crowd wants nightlife, this is available in abundance towards North Goa. For older people, if rest and relaxation are what they want, South Goa offers that to them. Overall, Goa’s ambiance is one that ensures a great time to all that visit the state. Therefore, it’s no secret, then, that Goa has bagged the National Tourism Award for the second time in a row.
A milestone achieved at the National Tourism Awards
Thursday, the 27th of September was an auspicious day for Goa. The state won a National Tourism Award for the second time at the awards event held in Delhi. The prestigious award was won in the category of Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) for the year 2016-17.
Union Minister for Tourism, Alphons Kannanthanam presented the award to Goa’s Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar and the managing director of the GTDC, Nikhil Desai.
Goa was selected based on a well-documented submission of all the work that the state tourism authorities have undertaken over the past six years. It has shown all the achievements in tourism in different departments which include infrastructure development, commissioning of tourism projects, launching of tourism products and services, and so much more.
“It is truly an honor for Goa to receive such a prestigious award for the second year especially in the area of Comprehensive Development of Tourism. Over the last one year, I have been closely monitoring various aspects of tourism development and it is noteworthy that a lot is being undertaken in the state towards overall development of tourism,” said Ajgaonkar expressing his happiness on receiving the award.
“This is helping the state to attract more tourists as we have grown not only in numbers but in terms of infrastructure, initiatives of all kinds and strengthened measures for the safety of tourists and providing a clean environment,” he added.
Azgaonkar also praised the efforts of all involved in promoting tourism in the state and even thanked the CM, Manohar Parrikar for his assistance.
The National Tourism Awards
The National Tourism Awards are truly prestigious awards given to the state governments and other tourism bodies as recognition for their performance in the respective fields of travel, tourism, and hospitality. These awards began in 1990 and still continue to encourage healthy competition with an aim to promote tourism.
Information credit
http://www.navhindtimes.in/goa-bags-national-tourism-award-for-second-time/
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