Panjim’s Latin Quarter has its own vibe with colourful walls and quirky features that amuses passerby. But when hordes of tourists start visiting the narrow bylanes of the wards of Sao Tome, Fontainhas and Mala, it makes one wonder whether the situation is getting out of hand. From liquor bottles found in flower pots to garbage strewn on the streets and ugly footprints left on freshly painted walls, the list of nuisance created by the tourists is long. While Goa is becoming a victim of revenge tourism, Panjim especially these wards, are facing the brunt.
Imagine you wake up in the morning and
walk to your verandah with your cup of tea and you notice strangers sitting in
your living room and merrily clicking away, or your fast asleep in the morning
only to be disturbed by photographers doing a pre wedding shoot at 6 am under
your window. These are real incidents leaving the people of Fontainhas and Mala
are completely irked.
Aurobindo Gomes Pereira is a lawyer and
associate professor at V M Salgaocar College of Law, Miramar, who resides in
Sao Tome says. “A few days back, the District Magistrate, North Goa has
notified the stretch of road at Sao Tome old Quarter, Panjim as ‘Non Motorized
Zone’ within the jurisdiction of Corporation of the City of Panaji. We are also
in conversation with the CCP to make it a no photography zone too. I am writing
an essay for Justice Adda on solutions to the tourist problems and I have
researched the examples of European cities like Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam
where they have rebooted tourism post the pandemic. To enter the city of
Venice, you have to pay a nominal fee of 50 Euros but now you have to also give
your mobile number at the entry point and through the number the movement of
the tourist are monitored. We don’t want to reach such a stage in Goa. There is
a need to have an identification of tourists and we need to cater to a
traveller culture tourism. Now, we are receiving hordes of casino based
domestic tourists who are clicking pictures at the doors of establishment and
residences but there is no revenue to benefit the economy of the locality”.
Eesha Dukle, a lawyer and a resident of Mala has to drive
through the narrow lanes of Sao Tome and Fontainhas to reach her home. “A major
issue is traffic in the area especially near Gallery Gitanjali and Desbue.
People just come there and click photos and I don’t mind tourists coming to the
area but there should at least have some civic sense of not standing on the
road and blocking the traffic. It is a residential area so you can’t honk the
horn of the car. They won’t even move if they see the car which is very
annoying. There is no traffic police in the lanes and we get to witness all the
cringe-worthy couple shoots right from morning to evening,” says Eesha.
An avid traveller, architect Neville Monteiro has travelled to
over 50 countries and has seen how tourists behave abroad. With his office
based in Sao Tome, he can empathise with the residents. “I used to live in
Fontainhas before I moved to Caranzalem but I certainly feel that the situation
has worsened post the pandemic. There are hordes of tourists walking not on the
footpaths but on the road and there is no privacy for the residents of Sao Tome
and Fontianhas. They are not interested in the area or to learn about the
heritage. Guided tours should be encouraged but these tourists are only looking
for good backdrops to click their pictures. Here they can get a feel of Europe
without getting a visa and ticket. But they should behave like guests and not
cause any inconvenience to the inhabitants,” says Neville.
He further adds,” Civic sense should prevail and there has to be
changes made in the area. There should be designated spots for garbage bins and
even portable toilets should be installed away from residential homes. A heavy
fine should be levied for violators so that even they feel the pinch. The
government is promoting tourism in this are but the locals are not getting
anything out of it. I know of families who are struggling to maintain their
houses. The government should step in and help to keep up the facade of these
wards. We need positive tourism but not such tourism that is detrimental to the
city. Loitering is not acceptable in any part of the world and that should be
allowed in Fontainhas and Sao Tome too. The evening and late night casino
crowds are urinating behind the Sao Tome Chapel and the place stinks in the
morning. This behaviour is not tolerated outside the country and there has to
be steps taken in the right direction.”
Co-founder of Make it Happen, Murali Shankaran has nearly 3-
guided heritage tours in a day in the Latin Quarter. He is completely
supportive of the residents. “The residents are also completely supporting my
tours as I am also against the intrusion they are facing. There should be
heritage walks to sensitize the tourists about the residential sanctity. I feel
that there should be quirky signage put up in the area to draw attention to the
issues. These should be designed well by the government like ‘Don’t Click
Photos’, ‘Don’t Park’ and ‘Don’t Lean on the Wall’. They should be eye catching
and nicely designed. These tourists are flocking the area because they see
photos on social media especially Instagram. If influencers put up reels on the
dos and don’ts in the Latin Quarter, I think it would give out the right message
and educate the audience,” says Murali, who has been organising heritage tours
for over seven years in the area.
Noted photographer with a career spanning over thirty years,
Rozario Estibeiro must have done just ten pre-wedding shoots in the Latin Quarter.
Though a resident of Fontainhas himself, he feels there has to be some
restrictions put in place. “Post the pandemic, there have been several Youtube
and Instagram and even Fontainhas has now been put up as Fontainhas Photography
Street on Google Maps. There has to be CCTVs installed and traffic police to
control the traffic. There are five schools in the area and the tourists taking
up space on the road is creating nothing but nuisance. In the morning itself,
You will find four couples with the photographer and his crew members on
different by lanes and roads. They even enter with vehicles in one way entry
and park any where they like. No one is stopping them from clicking photos but
at least do it decently and with proper discipline,” explains Rozario.
Looking
forward to the flock of tourists increasing in the coming months, it is time to
make changes to improve the lives of those living in the Latin Quarter. Tourism
is an important industry for Goa and there is also room for making vacationers
stay a memorable one with the right approach.