PANJIM: December is a month when the tourism season is on the peak but this year it is not so. Tourism stakeholders have lamented that while low-budget tourists are flocking to Goa and there is decline in quality tourists who stay in the State for a considerable number of days and shell out money.
Speaking to O Heraldo, the stakeholders said that the government must come out with a policy with regards to attracting quality tourists, especially foreigners, at the same time there must be a single window system for obtaining permissions. O Heraldo had published a photograph highlighting how the low-budget domestic tourists had kept their clothes for drying on the cannons below the Abbe Faria statue near the old Secretariat, Panjim. There are often incidents of such tourists cooking food by the roadside thereby causing nuisance to the people by littering the area.
O Heraldo spoke to tourism stakeholders to seek their views on this menace which has plagued the state and what needs to be done to attract quality tourists in the State.
Shack Owners' Welfare Society president Cruz Cardozo, said, “As of today I have seen that 70 per cent of the tourists are not spending. If you go out, you will see cars from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana or Bihar. I do not know how long these people are going to stay but they are not spenders.
The quality of tourists has gone down. It's very bad. I do not know what type of tourists the department of tourism is targetting. The department of tourism wants only numbers. They do not see quality. But numbers are not going to help.”
Cardozo said, “First time, I have been told by Calangute and Candolim people that this is not the peak season. This is supposed to be the peak season. But the number of quality tourists has gone down and the reasons are many. The department of tourism delayed issuing shack licences so many tourists cancelled their tickets. Now what will the hoteliers do? They have to survive. Some people are taking part in the events but we have been very badly hit. There is the issue of airport and air fares as well. I do not know how we are going to survive.
There is a need to rationalise prices. I hope the situation will improve next month. We have to be competitive on the international level also but we do not have a policy. There is a tourism board but stakeholders are not there. The department does not want to hear the local people. But later the stakeholders are blamed. They should give only one reason why the policy was delayed. Everything is unplanned. There are many people who have not started their shacks. They are helpless. Now at least government should learn from its mistakes.''
Dharmesh Saglani, president of Goa private shack operators, said, “South Goa is badly affected. Overall there is a 40 per cent decline in tourist arrival. We used to get sold in October itself for December but this year as we could not sell the rooms we had to drop the rates. I would not say quality or quantity because everybody has their budget but the number of foreign tourists has declined. Domestic tourists come for a day or two but foreigners come for at least a week. We are feeling the pinch. There is no ease of doing business in the tourism sector. For the last 14 years we have been trying to have a single window system for shack owners who are Goans, but have not succeeded. If they can do it for the Sunburn festival, then they must do it for shack owners as well. For the licences we have to roam from pillar to post. It is my humble request to the government that it must introduce a single window system for the Goans, specially for the shack owners.”
Savio Messias, another hotelier based in South Goa, said, “The number of foreign tourists has definitely reduced this year. Only reason is because getting Visas to come to India has become very difficult. We are getting quite a good number of domestic tourists but again quality domestic tourists are opting for the countries where they are getting free visas and good air fares. There is a drop in good tourists because they have got better options. Goa may be a great destination but when you are getting good facilities, why not go there. We have to make sure that we are Visa friendly. We have to be internationally more competitive. Government has to look at improving facilities and law and order in the state. Bars and nightclubs in the state are becoming unsafe. Goa has to seriously consider its carrying capacity. There has to be a policy. But tourists should be welcomed by the local people as well.''
Mandrem sarpanch Amit Sawant, said, ''The number of foreign tourists has come down. We do not see presently quality tourists. Domestic tourists are coming mainly on weekends. Now quality tourists are preferring other countries. The government must take some initiative to do some promotion in the international market. It is the responsibility of the Tourism Minister and the department of tourism that they bring a policy rather than disturbing those doing business in the coastal belt. Even traffic police are disturbing the tourists. This should stop. This is a type of harassment.”
“There has to be a single window system for getting permissions. We have to run from pillar to post to obtain permission. Goans doing business in the tourism sector will get relief if there is a single window system for obtaining permissions,'' Sawant said.