Panaji, September 2025: In a landmark step towards integrating artificial intelligence into tourism and hospitality, Goa is set to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in AI Hospitality in collaboration with Pacific Link College, Canada. The project aims to redefine how hospitality is delivered in the state — enhancing tourist satisfaction, streamlining operations, and creating future-ready jobs for Goan youth.
The initiative was discussed in detail during meetings between the delegation from Pacific Link College and Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications Rohan Khaunte.
The delegation, led by Tarun Khullar (CEO and Director-Board Member BCIBN), along with Roshan Worth (Head of South Asia), Rick Pasin (Head of Academics), and Aaron DPenha (Campus Director), presented a comprehensive plan to set up the Centre of Excellence in Goa. They expressed keen interest in working closely with startups, industry, incubators, academia, and ecosystem stakeholders.
“With this collaboration, we’re not just imagining the future of tourism — we’re building it,” said Rohan Khaunte. “The Centre will empower Goan youth with cutting-edge AI skills while positioning Goa as a lighthouse state for AI-powered tourism.”
The Government of Goa facilitated engagements between the Pacific Link College team and local industry and academic stakeholders to align vision, training needs, and operational goals. In follow-up discussions held on September 8, 2025, two potential sites were identified for the Centre.
The vision of the CoE in AI Hospitality is to skill youth in AI applications for hospitality (from service automation to customer experience design), support entrepreneurship in AI-enabled travel tech solutions, enable collaborative research and curriculum co-development with Goan institutions, and integrate AI tools to deliver personalised, immersive services for tourists.
This initiative forms part of Goa’s broader AI Mission 2027, which aims to foster innovation across governance, industry, and entrepreneurship. By embracing AI in hospitality, Goa seeks to deliver smarter experiences that encourage longer stays and return visits, while creating opportunities for skilling, employment, and investment.
The Centre of Excellence is expected to begin operations following MoU formalisation and infrastructure development in the coming months.
