Panaji, Oct 11 (Agencies): In an attempt to bring transparency in rates of hotel rooms and tourism-related business activities, Goa Tourism will soon launch an e-commerce portal, a first of its kind venture to be launched by a tourism organisation in India, and a mobile app on android and iOS platforms, which will allow tourists to book their accommodation, etc on rates indicated.

According to official sources, the e-commerce portal would bring revolutionary changes in tourism sector and help tourists plan their trips and easily make their bookings in bed and breakfast units to starred hotels, heritage homes and sites and various activities like water sports, music festivals, restaurant bookings, cooking trails, walking trails, river cruises, etc.

The portal will also have information on various aspects of Goa including its history, tourist spots, culture, adventure activities, transport facilities, etc. All possible tourism trade activities will be covered on the portal, which will become operational by November. The portal will have high security safety and anti-hacking protocol system. 

The portal has been designed in such a way that international and domestic visitors to the site will be able to browse through various options right from choosing the packages, itinerary, hotel bookings, site-seeing, adventure trips, spice gardens, water parks, crocodile Dundees, dolphin trips shopping and much more, with ease. 

The tourists will be able to arrange for pick-up at the airport. Ever since the e-registration of tourism establishments was started by the state tourism authorities, the GTDC, which is the nodal agency for promotion of tourism-related activities, has got response with over 100 private entrepreneurs registering with it. 

Gavin Dias, deputy general manager GTDC, stated that the portal will allow locals to generate revenue and tourists to get best rates, thereby making it beneficial for Goan entrepreneurs and tourists alike. The suppliers (Goan tourist trade operators) will need to register under the GTDC web portal to avail the benefits and to market their products and services. 

The e-commerce portal has been designed by Quantum Designs, owned by Quinton D’Souza, a Goan settled in Mumbai, who has experience in developing software for over 100 travel website applications. QD has been building software solutions for the travel industry for the last 20 years. 

GTDC will not incur any costs on the venture but will gain revenue through revenue sharing model. 

The website-cum-e-commerce portal will be available in six foreign languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, German and French in addition to Hindi and English. It will be backed with a 12-hour call centre service to make booking and query resolution simpler. The call centre will provide option of IVRS booking through international credit and debit cards.

The portal will be user-friendly with a mobile, desktop, tab-friendly responsive design, which will be friendly for the differently-abled and visually impaired. A book engine system will be applicable for processing payments through credit/debit cards and net banking using a globally accepted safe payment gateways. 

The major undertaking of the project is to register and build a world-wide database of agents interested in Goa and integrate it with existing data. Also managing partnerships with hotels, tour operators, activity providers and other service providers in Goa will be administered for effective sale through the website. 

The current GTDC website, which was only information based will be hosted, updated, enhanced and re-engineered. It will also have its content created and updated frequently along with online reputation management. It will also create and manage agent login portal and develop “itinerary builders” for creation of packages for Indian and International agents.