Panaji, Apr 3 (PTI) Goa's tourism sector needs to be revived as the pandemic has left a bad impact on it, state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said on Sunday, adding that the government will focus on development of non-conventional verticals, like hinterland and backwater tourism, for the growth of this industry.

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Khaunte was allotted Tourism portfolio along with Information and Technology (IT) by chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant. A notification allotting portfolios to the eight MLAs of BJP, who took oath on Mach 28 along with Sawant, was issued on Sunday.

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Talking to reporters, Khaunte said the chief minister has tabled a budget which has levied no extra taxes on citizens.

"In this scenario, the department like tourism plays a major role in collecting revenue," he said.

Khaunte said that the department will have to create a roadmap for tourism for the future with thrust on hinterland and backwater tourism activities.

The clear stress would be on "quality tourism" and not "quantity tourism", Khaunte said, adding that this sector was severely impacted due to COVID-19, which needs to be revived now.

This industry needs reforms, which can be done after amending the Tourism Act, he said.

According to him, the state government will work in coordination with the Centre to develop the tourism sector. "We will sit with the chief minister and mark the priorities," Khaunte added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)