Tourism dept to convert two ferry boats into floating working spaces

Panaji: Two ageing ferry boats, their hulls weathered by years of ferrying passengers across Goa’s waters, could get a new life as floating co-working spaces.

The tourism department has drawn up plans to adaptively reuse two vessels, the M V Marmagao and M V Chandor as digital nomad hubs. They will remain moored at a designated berthing location on the Mandovi.

According to the river navigation department, which owns the two ferries, the tourism department had requested to borrow one ferry and was offered the MV Chandor while the MV Marmagao has already been condemned as it was no longer worthy for operations.

“The project shall showcase Goa’s riverfront environment, local cuisine and cultural ethos, while catering to the evolving preferences of long-stay travellers, remote-working professionals and digital nomads,” said an IT department official.

Rohan Khaunte, the tourism minister, also holds the IT portfolio.

The vessels will be handed over to a private player, selected through a public-private partnership framework, on an “as-is-where-is” basis. The private player will be responsible for hull inspection and repairs and converting the ferry boats into a space for work desks, collaboration lounges and meeting rooms with high-speed internet, charging stations and a dining space, department documents show.

Tourism department officials said that once completed, the digital nomad hubs will be used for workshops, hackathons, innovation challenges and even riverside sundowners.

The digital hubs are meant for Indian startups and professionals working in emerging technology domains, particularly artificial intelligence, said a department official.

The facilities will also be open to the larger digital nomad community, including international visitors, said the officials.

Recently, the IT department held a beachside shackathon where state govt tried to entice remote workers to work on the beach.

Khaunte said that Goa wants to create a culture for digital nomads to come and stay in a homestay, support local communities and work from shacks at their leisure.