Every Sunday, the Museum of Goa transforms into a vibrant space where art, community, and critical conversations come together, fostering dialogue on sustainability, culture, and creative solutions for the challenges facing Goa and beyond. On Sunday, October 13, a panel discussion on regenerative tourism, featuring Maya de Souza, Puja Mitra, Parag Rangnekar, Mahesh Patil, and Nester Fernandes, exchanged views and strategies about the critical issues surrounding Goa’s booming tourism industry and the urgent need for sustainable solutions.
Goa’s Growing Tourism Footprint
Maya de Souza, Director of Programs, Act for Goa, noted that the rapid growth of tourism over the last decade has created serious environmental challenges. According to de Souza, the number of tourists has more than doubled, with over seven million visitors in the most recent year, creating strain on water quality, biodiversity, and local communities. She emphasised the importance of finding a path where tourism is not just sustainable, but also regenerative. “We are seeing the impacts on water quality, on forests, on nature, and on our diversity,” she remarked. ”
Marine Conservation and Responsible Wildlife Tourism
Puja Mitra, co-founder of Terra Conscious, brought attention to the often-overlooked marine ecosystems of Goa, particularly the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin, which is a residential species vulnerable to coastal activities. She also underscored the fragmented governance of marine tourism, where different departments manage different aspects of tourism—boats, tourists, and wildlife—without a cohesive approach. “The biggest challenge,” she said, “is that there is no capacity-building for tour operators. Right now, people are given a one-week training to operate a boat or a jet ski, and they’re expected to provide experiences to thousands of tourists.” Mitra advocated for shifting from a profit-driven tourism model to one that prioritises environmental assets, suggesting that operators and tourists alike need to be educated about responsible behaviour. She pointed out that tourists are often willing to pay more for knowledge-based experiences, saying, “The notion that budget tourists aren’t interested in knowledge is a fallacy. When you explain why responsible wildlife watching is important, people listen.”
Coastal Conservation and Community Engagement
Nester Fernandes, the program coordinator at Coastal Conservation Foundation, echoed Mitra’s call for greater community involvement in conservation efforts. “Coastal conservation is not just about preserving marine life; it’s about engaging with multiple stakeholders, from the forest department to local communities, to ensure that we’re protecting our ecosystems in a sustainable way,” Fernandes said. One of the main challenges, he noted, is the pressure that unregulated tourism puts on delicate ecosystems. “We do programs only two or three times a month to avoid overburdening the marine life,” he explained. “We need to make sure that tourism activities are done in a sustainable way, with proper rules in place.”
Hinterland Tourism and Local Communities
Parag Rangnekar, from Mrugaya Expeditions and member, the Goa Tourism Board, shifted the conversation to hinterland tourism, pointing out that while coastal tourism often gets the most attention, the growing influx of tourists into Goa’s hinterlands is equally concerning. He confessed, “I don’t understand what sustainable or regenerative tourism means anymore because these terms are so loosely used. What we really need to focus on is responsible tourism.” Rangnekar was critical of the double standards in the tourism industry, where locals blame outsiders for spoiling Goa but fail to act responsibly when visiting hinterland areas. “We behave like the very tourists we criticise when we go into our own forests and waterfalls,” he said.
Regulatory Challenges and Green Grading
Mahesh Patil, Chair of the Goa State Pollution Control Board, spoke about the role of the government in regulating tourism and promoting sustainable practices. He shared insights from his own experience, not only as a government official but also as an eco-tourism operator. “Goa’s economy depends heavily on tourism,” he noted, “but we need to move from quantity to quality. That’s the lesson we’ve learned from mining.”
Patil discussed several initiatives the government is implementing to address sustainability in tourism, including a green grading system for hotels. “We’ve started a process of green grading for hotels to differentiate those that are practicing responsible tourism from those that aren’t,” he explained. The grading system, he said, could eventually extend to tour operators as well, helping tourists identify environmentally responsible businesses.
The Path Forward: Collaborative Solutions
Throughout the discussion, a recurring theme was the need for collaboration across sectors—government, private businesses, NGOs, and local communities—to create a sustainable tourism model for Goa. Maya De Souza wrapped up the panel by reflecting on the diverse elements of Goa’s tourism sector and the need for tailored approaches. “We have four different types of tourism here in Goa—the coastal tourism, the hinterland tourism, the hotels, and the second homes. Each of these presents different challenges, and we need to address them thoughtfully.”
She also called for more emphasis on education and citizen science as tools for promoting regenerative tourism. “Tourism can be positive when it’s linked to education and when we involve citizens in the process of protecting our environment,” she concluded.
In summary, the panelists agreed that while tourism is a vital part of Goa’s economy, it must be managed responsibly. The future of tourism in Goa lies in balancing economic growth with environmental preservation, ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach local communities, and fostering a culture of sustainability among both tourists and operators. Through collaborative efforts, Goa can serve as a model for regenerative tourism, one that prioritises the well-being of its people and its ecosystem.