Goa Agenda: HR Connect 2004  

Goa

Sun, sand and beaches, this is the image that comes to your mind when one thinks about Goa. It has, for years, been an international tourist destination. Every year millions of tourists from India as well as abroad come to Goa for a holiday. It has capitalized on tourism and has relied on it for its growth.

But, it’s a changed scenario now. Its not only Goa’s beauty that attracts people to it but slowly and gradually more and more companies are looking at Goa as a potential for investment hub. And why not, Goa has got one of the best infrastructures any state in the country can offer. It has got excellent roads and is well connected by air and rail to all the major cities of India. Goa is also one of the most literate state in our country with 80% literacy rate. To top it all, majority of the population speaks fairly good English. The state also boasts of having one of the best telecom networks in the country.

With all its beauty and sound infrastructure, Goa not only has the right ambience and a wonderful work environment, but also gives a great holiday feeling. It’s a heady mixture of ‘Business and Pleasure’.

Coming to Goa

By Air

Goa is well connected by airline services to most major cities in India. All flights, national and international, to and from Goa, operate from the Goa Airport at Dabolim near the port town of Vasco-da-Gama.

The airport is about 30 kms from the capital city of Panaji. All major airline operators such as Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines have flights carrying passengers and cargo in and out of Goa. Besides these, a number of chartered flights land in Goa from UK and other European countries. The national airline Air India also lands a few flights, especially from the Gulf countries.

Most of the local airlines have a contact phone number in the city as well as at the airport where the latest information about flight status is always available. It is advisable to book your tickets well in advance, especially during the high peak tourist season of October to January when most flights run full.

By Rail

The high-speed Konkan Railway has a daily train which hardly takes around 8-9 hours for the journey from Mumbai to Goa. Other trains between Mumbai and Panaji take typically around 10-12 hours. The rail route also has trains which travel past Mumbai to other northern areas of India right upto Delhi as well as down south to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

The Konkan Railway has special reservation facility via the internet. There are also computerized reservation systems in most metros. As the demand for the rail journey is quite high and most trains run filled to capacity, it is highly advisable to reserve the tickets well in advance of your actual journey to Goa.

Goa has two major railway stations — Margao and Vasco-da-Gama, both located in the southern area of the state. The South Central Railway terminus is at Vasco-da-Gama and the Konkan Railway terminus is at Margao. Besides the two main stations, the trains usually halt for a few minutes at a number of other smaller stations in Goa such as Thivim (near Mapusa) and Carambolim (near Panaji).

By Road

Goa is connected with all the major towns in India via the National Highways NH4A, NH17 and NH17A. In most places along the way, the highway roads are in excellent condition and motorable at fairly good speeds. There are excellent bus services operating from Goa to most towns and cities in neighbouring states, such as Mumbai, Pune, Belgaum, Hubli, Bangalore, Mangalore etc. at fairly regular intervals throughout the day.

These services are operated by the state owned Kadamba Transport Corporation as well as the respective transport corporations of the neighbouring states. Besides there are numerous private bus operators who provide all kinds of bus services from special to deluxe AC to sleeper coaches along these routes.

The bus services operate from the huge main Kadamba Bus Stand at Panaji and from similar but much smaller bus stands in other Goan towns. Most buses tend to arrive in Goa in the early hours of the morning. The departures are in the early afternoon as well as early evening. The buses usually stop along the way for dinner and breakfast at roadside restaurants.

The tickets can be obtained through recognised travel agents or the offices of the state transport corporations. Do ensure that you have your seat and the bus registration number, and confirm the exact time and place of departure with the travel agent, as these frequently vary between companies.

The drive down from Mumbai, if you are coming by car, is along the beautiful highway which hugs the Konkan coastline, with excellent scenic beauty and typical small towns and villages along the entire route. There are a few winding and steep routes - 'ghats' - across the mountain ranges which add to the charm of the journey.

By Sea

Currently there is no service connecting Goa to the rest of India by the sea route.

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         8 - 10 September 2004

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