Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Goa is set to take a giant leap in blending artificial intelligence with tourism and hospitality by establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in AI Hospitality, in collaboration with Pacific Link College, Canada. The ambitious initiative aims to transform how hospitality services are delivered in the state – enhancing tourist experiences, streamlining industry operations, and creating future-ready opportunities for Goan youth.
The project was discussed extensively during a series of meetings between a Pacific Link College delegation and Goa’s Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Shri Rohan Khaunte.
The visiting delegation, led by Shri Tarun Khullar (CEO and Director-Board Member, BCIBN) and including Shri Roshan Worth (Head of South Asia), Shri Rick Pasin (Head of Academics) and Shri Aaron D’Penha (Campus Director), presented a comprehensive roadmap for setting up the CoE. They expressed their intent to collaborate closely with Goan startups, industry bodies, incubators, academic institutions, and ecosystem stakeholders.
“With this collaboration, we’re not just imagining the future of tourism – we’re building it,” said Shri Khaunte. “The Centre will equip Goan youth with cutting-edge AI skills and position Goa as a lighthouse state for AI-driven tourism.”
The Government of Goa also facilitated discussions between Pacific Link College and representatives from academia and the hospitality sector to ensure alignment on training priorities and operational objectives. During follow-up deliberations on September 8, 2025, two potential sites were shortlisted for the upcoming centre.
The CoE aims to:
• Train youth in AI applications for hospitality – from service automation to personalised guest experience design
• Support entrepreneurship in AI-enabled travel technology solutions
• Enable collaborative research and co-create curricula with Goan institutions
• Integrate AI tools to deliver efficient, immersive, and customised tourist services
This initiative forms a key part of Goa’s AI Mission 2027, which seeks to drive innovation across governance, industry, and entrepreneurship. By adopting AI-powered hospitality solutions, Goa hopes to deliver smarter, more memorable tourist experiences that promote longer stays and repeat visits – while generating new pathways for skill development, employment, and investment.
The Centre of Excellence is expected to commence operations after the formal signing of the MoU and completion of infrastructure development in the coming months.
