Panaji, July 14 (IANS) The hills of Sikkim can now sunbathe in Goa! To tap tourism synergies and boost business, the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and its Sikkim counterpart have signed an agreement to promote each other's diverse tourism platters.

GTDC Managing Director Nikhil Desai said the arrangement would mutually benefit both states and that similar exchange of synergies was on cards with several states like Meghalaya, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka to beef up tourism in Goa.

"The MoU (memorandum of understandin) will help towards mutual promotion of tourism, showcasing each others' cultural heritage to the tourists and felicitating inbound travel into the respective states," Desai told IANS.

The agreement was signed June 23 between Desai and Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director S. Anbalagan.

Desai said the MoU covered issues like hotel, package booking and sharing of resources. "Once a booking is made in one of these states, 15 percent of the amount will go to the corporation that has made the booking. Also, anybody who visits Goa and wants to visit one of these five states, could be assisted through the state corporations and visa versa."

To cater to the potential increased streams of tourists, Desai said, the GTDC would incorporate private hotel owners into the business.

"We are in talks with private hoteliers and even they will benefit from the MoU," he said.

A popular beach tourism destination, Goa annually attracts nearly 2.5 million tourists, out of which nearly half a million are foreigners.