Panaji, Apr 8 (IANS): The state government has a vision for attracting quality tourists to Goa, but that does not mean it is going to happen overnight, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said on Friday.

Khaunte was speaking to reporters after taking a review of the functioning of the Tourism Ministry from its top officials.

"We have to understand the vision of the government... the vision is talking about quality tourists. It is not the case that it will happen tomorrow or day after," Khaunte told reporters.

"We have to create a backbone, create infrastructure to get quality tourists. But we have to have a plan ahead. It is not about talking for today and tomorrow," he added.

Goa is regarded as one of the top beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country and before the Covid pandemic, the state attracted nearly eight million tourists to its shores.

The jury is out, however, over the debate related to quality or mass tourism, with the increasing number of tourist arrivals resulting in added stress to social infrastructure in the state. In 2019, eight million tourists visited Goa, which is more than five times the state's population of nearly 1.5 million.

Khaunte also said that the government was in the process of speaking to tourism industry stakeholders before formally spelling out its policy on quality tourism.