The Goa cabinet has approved the next phase of the Goa tourism master plan and tourism policy, extending KPMG Advisory Services Pvt Ltd’s engagement at a fee of Rs 8 lakh per month to support planning and implementation across the state’s tourism sector.
The extension covers Phase II of the master plan after the previous implementation contract expired on March 31. The cabinet said KPMG’s continued involvement would provide technical continuity for initiatives already under implementation, projects in process and measures that are yet to be taken up.
The next phase includes work on Goan Waters, eco and nature tourism, spiritual tourism, heritage and culture, adventure tourism, MICE tourism, leisure and entertainment, wellness and medical tourism. It also covers tourism infrastructure, tourism statistics and analytics, capacity building, marketing and promotion, stakeholder engagement and digitisation.
According to the cabinet, the state had constituted an evaluation committee chaired by the secretary of tourism to review the consultant’s performance and assess progress on the master plan and tourism policy. The committee included state government officials and representatives of industry and specialist stakeholders, including the Travel & Tourism Association of Goa, the Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry, an economist and a tourism marketing expert.
The committee examined reports prepared under Phase I and recommended them to the government. The cabinet said KPMG had submitted reports covering all Phase I modules, which were approved by both the evaluation committee and the government. It also approved additional work under Phase II beyond the original scope, stating that the expanded work would not impose any additional financial burden on the state government.
The cabinet described KPMG’s role as extending beyond routine consultancy. The responsibilities include project conceptualisation, research and benchmarking, stakeholder consultations, preparation of schemes, policies and guidelines, drafting tender and bid documents, bid process management support, evaluation support and assistance during implementation.
The state government said several initiatives identified under the master plan were already being implemented or were in process, while others required further technical support. It also linked the emerging initiatives to national tourism priorities and programmes of the Union tourism ministry.
The decision to continue with KPMG was based, according to the cabinet, on the consultant’s familiarity with the tourism department’s priorities, the history of projects, the stakeholder ecosystem and the requirements of implementation. The government said this continuity would help avoid duplication of effort and support the timely execution of pending and ongoing initiatives.
