Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Nov 1: With the flagship EDM festival Sunburn moving out of Goa, the State government has set its sights on transforming the coastal State into a “concert tourism hub” by developing world-class plug-and-play facilities.

During the State Tourism Ministers’ meet held in Rajasthan, the Goa Tourism Department announced plans to build a mega performance arena at Mandrem with a seating capacity of 20,000. The proposed multi-use venue will host large-scale international concerts, conventions, cultural shows, weddings, and entertainment events.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said that the success of global music acts like Coldplay’s recent concert in Ahmedabad has highlighted the growth potential of the concert economy in India.

“We saw the success of Coldplay in Ahmedabad. The concert economy is one of the fastest-growing sectors, and we aim to promote Goa as a concert tourism hub,” Khaunte said. “With the Centre’s support, we plan to develop a plug-and-play facility, especially along the coastal belt, to host international-scale events. Our goal is to move beyond the image of Goa as only about sun, sand, and sea,” he added.

Meanwhile, Khaunte also announced a verification drive against hotels that have misrepresented their category to claim benefits such as deemed renewals. He said the government allows deemed approvals for C and D category hotels if renewal applications are not processed within seven days, provided all documentation is in order.

“Several B category hotels, including luxury villas, registered themselves under the C category. We have identified such cases and issued notices to around 15–16 hotels,” he said.

As of last month, the number of C-category hotels in Goa has risen to 9,166, compared to 3,647 in 2022, the Minister added.