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18 | www.travelweekly-asia.com PRODUCT: SUN, SEA AND SAND Goa, chosen by Lonely Planet as the Best Indian Destination for Relaxation in 2014, continues to work hard on reinventing its image in an effort to widen its appeal in source markets. Once best known as a cheap beach hangout for hippies and dropouts, Goa has made good progress in reshaping the way it is perceived within and beyond India. Dilip Parulekar, tourism minister, Government of Goa, said, "Goa is a state with many facets and we have observed that tourists come here mainly because of our relaxed vibe. "We have people visiting the state for everything right from bird watching to exploring culture and beach hopping. "He said the state government had initiated several projects to improve infrastructure, accommodation and connectivity to Goa, but there was more work to be done. Goa is pushing for a luxury train on the lines of India's Palace on Wheels, a move the government hopes would attract more high-end tourists into the state. A high-speed train between Mumbai and Goa is also on the wishlist. The minister said Goa Tourism recognised that every tourist is "distinct and important, that is why safety and cleanliness is always at the top of our list of priorities". Last October Goa rolled out radio taxis driven by women trained in BALI SEES INCREASES IN SEVERAL SOURCE MARKETS By Natalie Chen Dilip Parulekar: "People come to Goa to have fun." By Ian Jarrett RELAX, THIS IS GOA, BIKINIS ARE OKAY Bali's popularity continues to draw tourists from the region. It saw a rise in arrivals from Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea in 2014. Overall Bali welcomed 3.76 million foreign visitors, 14.9% more than the 3,27 million recorded in 2013. Month- on-month, December 2014 arrivals hit 349,094 an improvement of 16.7% over the 299,013 arrivals in December 2013. Australia maintained its top position as an international source market, ending 2014 at almost one million visitors. Australian arrivals increased 19.9% for the year. Mainland Chinese visitors increased 51.2% in 2014. Malaysia, Japan and Singapore are ranked third, fourth and fifth largest source markets. Russian arrivals declined almost 10% in 2014. Political and financial troubles may see Russian arrivals to Bali decline even further in 2015. Members of the travel industry are confident that Bali will have a strong 2015. Said Jean-Charles Le Coz, general manager, Grand Nikko Bali, "The average occupancy (for our hotel) is 60%, which is very good for luxury villas. We received a lot of direct bookings or through OTAs from all over the world, as well as more mainstream business though wholesalers from Germany, Korea, China and Japan." With Bali projecting 10% growth in foreign visitors in 2015, foreign arrivals should surpass the four million mark. Areas being developed, such as the Sawangan, Pecatu, Tanah Lot and Canggu will offer visitors a greater choice of holiday destinations. martial arts. "We want to send a message that Goa is a safe place for tourists especially for women. One of the rules of the taxis is that there should be at least one woman passenger in a group of passengers, if they want to avail of this service," said Goa Tourism Development Corporation chairperson Nilesh Cabral The taxis, which focus on popular beaches like Calangute, Candolim, Colva, are equipped with GPS and a chart of government approved fares. One state government minister recently suggested that Goa should ban bikinis and pubs but this personal viewpoint did not find much support. "As a tourism minister, I can say that there can be no ban on bikinis or drinking. People come to Goa to have fun," Parulekar said. However, the state has moved to curb access by locals to offshore floating casinos and has tightened up its regulations on nightclubs. Goa received a huge boost when Dabolim international airport was chosen as one out of nine airports nationwide which are authorised to issue visa- on-arrival (VoA) to foreign tourists. Francisco Braganca, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, said the VoA facility would be a great boon in markets such as Russia and eastern Europe where people travel huge distances to obtain Indian visas. Tourism minister Parulekar believes the VoA facility will help to double the number of foreign arrivals in Goa in four years from 500,000 to a million. To avail the VoA facility, foreign tourists from 43 countries can make an online visa application and receive a 30-day visa stamped on their passport on arrival. According to Kuoni Travels, the VoA facility may help avert a mini- crisis that has affected the Goa tourism industry with a drop in the number of Russian and Ukrainian tourists. "With the e-visa, we are hopeful of seeing some increase. However, we do expect arrival numbers to go up substantially in the years ahead," said a Kuoni spokesman. Kuoni and other tour operators are disappointed that countries like Britain, Denmark, Poland and Sweden have been excluded from the list of countries cleared for VoA. Photo: iStock.