Recently a two-day conference on “Entrepreneurship as Empowerment” was held at Goa University which was attended by nearly 350 who witnessed the speakers talking about responsible tourism in Goa with a focus on the youth and call for launching into entrepreneurship is every possible sector. VIKANT SAHAY met with Jay Mitra who is a professor of Business Enterprise and Innovation and Director of venture academy at Essex Business School, University of Essex, UK explained about the perception what UK and Europe had about Goa
HERALD: How is Goa perceived as a business destination in UK?
JAY MITRA: The perception of many people in Europe and especially in UK about Goa is that of tourism. It is still believed there that you visit Goa for relaxation and I think Goa itself can capitalise on this by making tourism as a base for entrepreneurial activities, like eco-tourism, advertising, letting out of private homes for tourists and involving everyone in developing tourism and develop the idea of sustainable tourism. But it should not be only for money making but it must have a sense of pride.
HERALD: Since Goa as a state is small and there is a scarcity of land and less chances of setting up of big manufacturing units, what and how can Goa grow in terms of R&D based industries?
JM: I do not think that imposing such an infrastructure around information technology will make a difference as it will not affect the lives of Goans and that is going to be crucial for Goa’s economic development. I think if it does affect and attracts the Goans then of course it might make a difference. But, yes if it comes then those R&D centers should be directed for the benefit of the Goans such as tourism, agriculture etc. Goa is such a fertile land, however, agriculture indices does not reflect it. Any new thing brought into Goa must be for some strategic interest which can help Goans improve upon quality of life and employment.
HERALD: According to you what kind of economy will help Goa grow in terms of revenue and employment?
JM: It is a difficult question for me to answer as I require deep study and data collection. However, what comes to my mind readily are some of the areas which are really growing. Tourism has a history and record but today it is not seen as a sustainable one and it has become a rampant form of tourism. What we need is to recalibrate tourism and think how this sector can serve as a purposeful vehicle. Sport is another field where Goa is emerging as one of the major hub for sport-related activities. There is a huge potential for developing sport-related ecosystem which does not simply include building of infrastructure. One needs to develop the whole industry as a whole and it will also help in growth of good health. It is very much embedded in Goa like tourism, sport, health, nature etc and actually importing of technology and ideas not relevant to Goa is not required.
HERALD: Seeing the huge turnout of the young people in this Entrepreneurial Conference at Goa University, how encouraged are you feeling?
JM: I am thrilled to see such young people hungry for seeking knowledge and information. It shows a beginning of a new movement which can start led and conducted by the youngsters and they can be the drivers to bring about the change and develop entrepreneurship.
