Panaji: Goa has registered over four per cent growth in tourist arrivals during 2012, breaking the lull prevalent for last six years, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar informed the State Legislative Assembly on Monday.
The tourism scene was encouraging and has witnessed growth in arrivals, which was stagnant since six years, he said.
The figures tabled on the floor of the House by the government revealed that 27.8 lakh tourists arrived in the last calendar year, as against 26.7 lakh the year earlier.
"We have managed to offset the stagnation which had set in the tourism sector," Parrikar said.
The figures reveal that there has been 4.5 per cent increase in tourist arrivals. For 2012, 23.3 lakh domestic tourists and 4.5 lakh foreigners arrived as against 22.2 lakh domestic and 4.45 lakh foreigners in 2011.
State Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar responding to a question said that the state does not have a breakup of the domestic tourists arriving from different states.
"We don`t get to know which tourist has arrived from which state," he said.
During the Question Hour today, Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte sought the information on the number of tourists visiting Goa during the carnival and food festival, this year.
Parulekar said the department does not maintain details of tourists visiting the state for specific events or periods.
"However, based on the feedback received from the Goan hospitality industry, the number of tourists who visited the state for Carnival or Shigmo resulted in high occupancies and good business for tourism industry in the state during February 2013," the Minister said.
PTI
