Panaji, May 13 (IANS): Goa Tourism authorities on Saturday launched a unique hop-on-hop-off bus service for tourists, with a fleet of open-roof double decker and single decker buses plying through popular hotspots in Panaji and adjoining coastal areas.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the new service, Goa Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Nilesh Cabral said the service would offer tourists a unique experience of enjoying the natural architectural hotspots of Goa from open-roof buses, which would ply around a circuit with 19 halts.

"Right now, we have four buses in our fleet, which will cover Panaji and the adjoining areas. Soon the fleet will be extended by 15 more buses and more circuits will be created all over Goa," Cabral said.

"The hop-on-hop-off circuit currently includes places of tourist interest in Panaji, like Raj Bhavan, Dona Paula cliff, the Miramar beach and other areas. It also covers the popular Calangute beach area," he said.

After buying a pass, which is valid for 24 hours, tourists will be able to visit their locations of interest and hop off for an extended period of time and hitch a ride in a following hop-on-hop-off bus.

"This allows people to decide the amount of time they want to spend at specific tourist sites they choose," Cabral said.

Goa is one of the top tourism destinations in the country and attracts more than four million tourists every year.