THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
A fatal attack on a parking contractor by a group of five drive-in visitors from neighbouring Karnataka has played a spoilsport to the ongoing tourism season in the coastal State.
Though the attackers were caught before crossing the border at Pollem, the incident brings to mind quite a few cases where locals have been a victim of crimes committed by tourists.
Goa witnessed a tensed moment in the very same Anjuna village, over two months ago, when three Kerala tourists assaulted a local taxi operator. They were arrested. Incidentally, both attacks - although the recent one turned fatal - occurred near Starco junction.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), an umbrella organisation of all the connected stakeholders, has however termed the crime as ‘one of the incidents.’ Its President Nilesh Shah has sought for transparency over parking lots and parking fees.
“It is one of the incidents happening in Goa. Undoubtedly, it gives a bad image to Goa but we should also look into issue revolving around parking lots and fees. There have been inconsistent rates across different parking spaces and many a times, some parking lots are illegally operating,” he said speaking to Herald.
The TTAG has suggested addressing this issue while also ensuring displaying of proper signages along with contact numbers of the concerned persons and deployment of tourist police to prevent possible dispute over the fees. “Transparency is the key,” Shah added.
The State opened its doors for tourists even before the official commencement of tourist season about a fortnight ago. It was a desperate bid to revive the beleaguered hospitality industry with stakeholders repeatedly urging re-opening of tourism, albeit with SOPs in place. In the fag-end of June, the State had done away with the negative COVID-19 test certificate for fully vaccinated visitors.
The Centre’s decision to allow foreign tourists just in time for the holiday season has also brought cheers. However, such incidents occurring in one of the most sought after tourist hubs has yet again raised apprehensions if tourists are taking the law in Goa lightly.
Tourists driving two-wheelers and four wheelers along the beaches, is another instance of how seriously they follow the law. If not for the social media, these tourists would escape prosecution.
Fr Freddy Braganza, in-charge of Centre for Responsible Tourism (CRT), demands that concerned agencies besides the law enforcing authority should take the responsibility to ensure safety of its people. “The responsibility given to the concerned departments and agencies should be properly handled. It’s not about safety in the parking lots only. Other authorities besides the police should ensure their people posted on duty at different touristic locations are safe,” he said.
A year ago, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant had conceded that a large number of tourist arrivals resulted in tourist-related crimes.
Mark Mendes, who runs his NGO called My Village, said that with domestic tourism in Goa skyrocketing it has bought along with it a number benefits for the economy but on the flip side, it brings with it several other negative issues related to garbage, overcrowding, increased pressure on infrastructure and the environment, as well as increased crime rates.
“The macro impact of crime has an effect on the society and the destination. Crime can have a very negative impact on tourism and security should not be taken for granted, in fact it should be enhanced. The government should take necessary steps to ensure a safe environment for both the local community and the tourists. I am confident that the authorities will make notes of the hot spots and have them covered by the Tourist Police which our Chief Minister inaugurated on World Tourism Day,” Mendes, also the Director of Travel technology called Big Blue Road said.
