Varanasi: Goa Tourism Minister Rohan A Khaunte on Saturday pitched the concept of a “Plus One Economy” to the hospitality industry, urging stakeholders to create more experiences that encourage tourists to extend their stay in the coastal state.
Khaunte was speaking at the three-day 56th annual convention of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) in Varanasi, where he attended the inaugural ceremony as Guest of Honour.
The convention, being held from August 21 to 23, is themed “Ananta Kashi: Leading the Future of Tourism through Spirit, Culture, Cuisine and Craft”.
Khaunte said Goa’s next phase of tourism growth should focus not merely on increasing tourist numbers but on extending visitor stays, increasing visitor spending and creating greater value across the destination.
“Sometimes, we need to create more Goa for the tourist who is already here. A village experience, a homestay, a temple visit, a forest experience or a wellness offering can become the reason a visitor stays one more night,” he said.
“The biggest growth story in tourism today is not another million tourists. It is something much smaller, the plus one. One more night, one more experience, one more part of India to be discovered,” he added.
Khaunte said Goa’s “Tourism Beyond Beaches” campaign was aimed at expanding the visitor experience to the state’s hinterland, villages, meditation and spiritual circuits, and other experiential offerings.
He said the objective was not to move tourists away from beaches but to build additional experiences around them and encourage visitors to explore more of Goa and stay longer.
The minister also invited the hospitality industry to invest in wellness infrastructure in the state, saying Goa had already notified its Wellness Policy and was looking at fiscal incentives to encourage new wellness centres.
He urged hospitality businesses to develop wellness products within their existing properties by leveraging their land, infrastructure, customer base, brands and distribution networks.
A stronger wellness ecosystem could help Goa attract new demand, extend visitor stays, address seasonality and increase tourism expenditure, while making existing hospitality infrastructure more productive, he said.
Khaunte also stressed the need to create greater opportunities for young entrepreneurs, local guides, chefs, creators and technology entrepreneurs in the tourism sector.
He called for closer collaboration between the government and the hospitality industry to provide young tourism enterprises access to capital, management expertise, technology and markets while preserving their creativity and local identity.
On connectivity, Khaunte highlighted the state government’s Rs 2 crore performance-linked incentive scheme for tour operators to encourage international charter operations into Goa.
He said increased international charter capacity would benefit the wider hospitality ecosystem by contributing to hotel occupancy, restaurants and destination spending.
The minister also called for greater integration among airlines, hotels, restaurants, tour operators and the government, saying the tourism sector’s next phase of growth should focus on building productivity and ecosystems rather than simply adding capacity.
Referring to the convention’s theme and Goa’s cultural connection with Varanasi, Khaunte recalled that Goa was earlier referred to as “Dakshin Kashi”.
He said the shared cultural and spiritual connection between Kashi and Goa provided an opportunity for greater tourism and cultural exchange between the two destinations.
Khaunte also expressed Goa Tourism’s interest in engaging with tourism stakeholders in Varanasi to explore opportunities for dialogue, exchange and collaboration.
He said Goa’s future tourism growth must create value for visitors and businesses as well as local communities, culture, heritage and the environment, in line with the state’s approach towards responsible and regenerative tourism.
Goa Tourism also showcased the state’s cultural traditions, heritage, cuisine, crafts and community-led experiences at the convention.
