In a bid to make Goa an all-season tourist destination, the State Government is readying to woo tourists to its waterfalls and lush forests in the monsoon season.

Usually, the sea is rough in the rainy season and visitors are advised to stay away from the beaches, following which there is a drop in the number of travellers to the State.

But now, waterfalls rushing down the hills of the Western Ghats, lush green forest lands and inland waterways are being looked upon as alternatives to the beaches, which receive the maximum footfalls in the non-monsoon months.

The State Tourism Minister, Mr Dilip Parulekar, said the department is now planning to develop waterfalls as tourist destinations. A master-plan is being prepared so that these places are made accessible to visitors.

Mr Parulekar said the beaches are shut during the monsoons leading to the lean season.

“We want to change the concept that Goa is only for beaches. We have a variety of destinations to offer travellers,” he said.

Foreign tourists usually pack-up for their homes during the monsoons. The State is then entirely dependent on the domestic crowd.

“Domestic tourists love to be with nature. We will provide them all the facilities so that they have a reason to arrive in Goa,” he said.

The Ambolim waterfalls in Maharashtra and the Dudhsgar waterfalls on the Goa-Karnataka border are prime attractions during the monsoons.

Mr Parulekar said Goa has the likes of Ambolim at several places in the rural talukas, which can be explored as tourism destinations.

The State Government has already announced a 50 per cent concession in luxury tax to hotels, which will help them work out attractive monsoon packages.

A spokesman of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Mr Ralf D’Souza, said occupancy was around 60 per cent during the lean season last year. This year, he said, occupancy was expected to increase due to lower pricings.

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