Everyone’s heard of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Carnival, US’s Mardi Gras, Italy’s Carnival of Venice, Spain’s La Tomatina, Germany’s Oktoberfest and Thailand’s Songkran. Visitors from around the world throng these festivals, which are marked on their event calendar.
Intriguingly, India – known as the land of festivals – does not have many festivals or carnivals that feature on a voracious traveller’s checklist. Closer home, even Goa’s vibrant festivals fail to draw the desired size of crowds.
For long, it’s been a missed opportunity at both the national and the State level. Realising the immense potential of festival and carnival tourism, the tourism department of Goa has lately been working hard to make up for the lost chance. It’s going whole hog in promoting Goa’s festivals and events through the year.
The website of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), which oversees the commercial activities related to the State government’s tourism industry, is choc-a-block with information and visuals of Goan festivals.
A visit to its official site will fill you up with information and visuals of earlier unheard festivals. You are carpet-bombed with visually appealing pictures of festivals like Tripurari Purnima, Chorotsav, Xenni Uzzo, Homkund Utsav, Ghode Modni and many more.
It’s an aggressive push by them to woo tourists, prodding them to plan their Goa trip around these festivals. The tourism department’s seriousness to promote festival tourism can be gauged by the Rs 3-crore budget set aside by it for just the two upcoming festivals of Sao Joao and Chikal Kalo.
Last year, these two carnivals got good response, bringing them on the tourist-radar. The department is now reportedly scouting for an event management firm for organising them.
Suneel Anchipaka, director of tourism and managing director of GTDC, says his department’s zeal stems from the fact that these festivals have caught the attention of domestic and overseas tourists; “these festivals have gained significant attention, both nationally and internationally, enhancing Goa’s reputation as a destination rich in cultural diversity”.
“These festivals have gained significant attention, both nationally and internationally, enhancing Goa’s reputation as a destination rich in cultural diversity”.
Suneel Anchipaka, director of tourism and managing director of GTDC.
He further adds, “through our commitment to regenerative tourism, we strive to preserve and promote our cultural heritage while supporting sustainable community development”.
The bureaucrat informed, in the coming months, his department will go all-out to market festivals like Bonderam, Sao Joao, Sangodd, Chikal Kalo, and Touxeachem Fest to put them on the event calendar of tourists looking for novel and exciting travel experiences.
“We are welcoming more tourists to witness the festivals of Bonderam, Sao Joao, Sangodd, Chikal Kalo, and Touxeachem Fest as they are deeply rooted in Goa’s cultural heritage and community spirit. Each festival provides a unique glimpse into our traditions, offering visitors an authentic experience of Goa beyond its beaches,” says the government official.
For now, the department is busy with last-minute preparations for the monsoon fests – Bonderam (August 24), Sao Joao (June 24), Sangodd (June 29), Chikal Kalo (June 17-18), and Touxeachem Fest. And it’s leaving no stone unturned to ensure these events are as successful as in the previous years.
Undeniably, the Josh at the tourism department is high but for Goa’s local festivals to reach the scale and grandeur of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Carnival, or even Thailand’s Songkran, it’s still a long way. That said, it’s a good start for it, nonetheless.