Panaji, Mar 24 (IANS): Setting up of three five-star hotels in coastal beach resorts via public private partnership model (PPP) tops the agenda of the Goa government, according to official documents tabled during the budget session of the state assembly Wednesday.

Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) managing director Nikhil Desai has written to the state government's PPP appraisal committee, seeking to approve the three hotels at Colva, Britonna and Baga.

"GTDC has identified the hotels and landed properties for development through private participation by selection of the private developer through a transparent bidding process," Desai said in a letter to the PPP appraisal committee.

The three hotels and several other entertainment and hospitality-oriented projects like theme parks, shopping complexes and gaming areas as well as riverside marinas, are all envisioned on government-owned land, which will be opened to commercial exploitation by the private sector as per the PPP agreement.

"PPP has been identified as one of the viable development options for development of GTDC properties and supplementing GTDC's vision of developing Goa tourism," Desai has said.

According to Desai, the cost of these 10 PPP projects is around Rs.500 crore.

"The benefits would be world class tourism infrastructure related to hospitality, adventure sports heritage tourism and hinterland tourism. It will promote Goa as a high end tourism destination," Desai said, adding that 2,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities would be created by these projects.

However, the opposition criticised the government's move to push projects through the PPP mode.

"Why is the government supporting five-star hotels in PPP mode, when private investors are ready to invest their own money in hotel projects in Goa," leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar said.