Now, get the dope on Goa via SMS

State's tourism agency plans to allot codes to Goan hotspots, which can be used to receive information on places by the click of a button

After hooking on to the social networking websites to salvage its international tourist inflow, which has taken a severe beating in the last couple of years, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), the state-run agency, has now decided to disseminate information related to famous tourist spots via cell phones.
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One only needs to SMS the code of the destination to a helpline and they will receive relevant information about it.

To this end, the state plans to affix codes to places of tourist interest, such as well-known forts, beaches, cultural hot spots, heritage sites, religious sites, waterfalls, adventure tourism sites and others.

The codes will be listed on signboards placed at strategic spots across the state (see box). The effort should make the state more accessible to tourists.

Swapnil Naik, director, GTDC, said, "Getting tech-savvy is the need of the hour. We are constantly trying to innovate and improve to keep up with the expectations of our guests. We believe that this tourist-friendly project will be of immense help to the millions who visit the state year after year."

The state known for being the party capital of the country has been facing a challenge to maintain its sagging foreign tourist inflow after it earned bad reputation due to sporadic crimes against foreign tourists over the last few years. Every year, Goa attracts around 24 lakh tourists of which around three lakh are foreigners.

"GTDC officials have been working closely with the software company on developing this mobile application which will aid tourists in providing information on the tourist attractions of the state within a matter of seconds, either in text or audio format," said Naik.

Manish Ramchandani, who frequents Goa regularly, feels the new technology will be of great help to tourists. "There are places we have seen in movies but never been to.

The new technology will help us get the minor details for which guides are usually hired. Now, it will be at our fingertips," he said.

How to use the code
Texting the code number in the format MGoa_(code of place) to the number 56070 will give tourists information about that particular place. Messages can be delivered in text as well as audio format.