It rains tourists in Goa

Earlier considered an off-season, this monsoon in Goa saw a record hike in tourism around the months of June, July and August. The state recorded 18 per cent increase in tourists for the three months against tourist arrivals during the same period in 2013. Ameya Abhyankar, Director, Department of Tourism, said, “The rebranding and repositioning of brand Goa as a land of all seasons, and capitalising on the fact that Goa is the world’s only tourist destination that has the maximum contrasts in the smallest geographical space, further notched up the numbers of tourists in the state during the monsoons”. Initiatives such as Goa Instawalk, white-water rafting and festivals such as Sao Joao celebrated during the onset of monsoons helped draw in tourists.