Goa opens up to domestic tourists from today!

India’s western coastal state of Goa, which attracts lakhs of tourists every year, has opened today for domestic tourists. 

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Goa Tourism Minister, Manohar Ajgaonkar, said that after months of lockdown, over 250 hotels will resume operations in the state. These hotels were granted permission by the tourism department with the standard operating procedures put in place by the state government.

Guidelines that tourists travelling to the state will have to follow are given below:

1. Tourists will either have to carry COVID-19 negative certificates within stipulated 48 hours window to enter the state or will have to get tested at the border and undergo quarantine at a state-run facility till their results arrive. 

2. People who test positive will be given the option of returning to their respective states or staying back in Goa for treatment.

3. Tourists have to mandatorily pre-book their stay at hotels that have received the tourism department’s approval.

4. Hotels and homestays that have not registered with the department to reopen business will not be allowed to entertain guests or offer online bookings.

5. There would be a crackdown on hotels and guest houses that are not registered with the tourism department but are offering stay facilities via app-based room aggregators.

6. Tourists who used to illegally stay in non-registered hotels booked through app aggregator services or in guesthouses will not be allowed. It will be deemed illegal.

Wish you a safe and happy trip!