Panaji : The Federation of Hoteliers and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), which represents 2052 hotels and 1016 restaurants across India, has hired a public relations firm to shore up the sagging image of Goa as a safe tourism destination.
"We have hired Perfect Relations, a PR firm to help correct the image of Goa," Ralph de Souza, the outgoing president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and member of the FHRAI, told IANS.
According to Ralph, the FHRAI is concerned about the constant bad press Goa is receiving in the media.
"Through the PR agency we are monitoring news related to tourism in Goa worldwide. If any adverse news does appear, the agency gets in touch with the media outfit and presents to them the other side of the story, which is not reported," he said.
Goa, which attracts 2.4 million tourists annually, has been ranked as one of the top 10 Christmas and New Year holiday destinations in the world.
But the reputation of the state as a safe tourism destination has come under a cloud in recent times because of several crimes against foreigners.
