A
article like this in an influential international journal can be a blow to the solar plexus of
tourism, it damages reputation and firms perceptions-
Excerpt-“Statistically, it is now safer to
be a British combat soldier in Afghanistan than to be a holidaymaker on the
palm-fringed beaches of Goa. According to the Ministry of Defence, 91 British
combatants or MoD civilian personnel have died in Afghanistan since allied
forces invaded in October 2001 – 65 of them in combat or from wounds, 26 from
other causes. In contrast, at least 40 Britons are reported to have died in Goa
in 2007
Death on the beach | International Travel & Health Insurance
Journal
Therefore when a 48 year female tourist
from USA allegedly committed suicide on Sunday by strangulating herself with
the help of a rope in a room rented at Colomb in Canacona, the same questions
started doing the rounds
Tourism and nightlife stakeholders point
to safety first, relatives of deceased point to shoddy post death investigations
The important question is what Goa is
doing to ensure the safety of not only foreign tourists but even Indian
tourists and locals? Says Ankit Choudhary who owns an event and tour company
Ace Concepts, “Goa seems to be working towards the safety on the tourists as
well as locals in the state, where the road safety by installing traffic
signals and speed breakers at necessary locations are looked after, along with
increase in the number of checkpoints at night that has been helping lately.
However, there is a lot more to be done, in order to ensure complete safety of
tourists.
While relatives of foreign tourists who
have died have, and rightly so lamented thorough and prompt investigations in
cases, many tourism and nightlife stakeholders point to the basics
Says Choudhary, “Installation of CCTVs at
multiple locations, especially in areas like beaches and big parking areas that
are most often isolated, is important
These are the places where a lot of crime takes place. Taxi
drivers should to be certified by the government and that too after getting a
PCC (Police Clearance Certificate), addresses Choudhary.
Nilankur Das the
founder of Thus, which organizes talks and discussions on wide ranging issues
of social concern feels the police department should talk with the civil
society and people from tourism related activities from ground up “Issues like
cultural assimilation and network within various travel groups can be looked
into. And yes, death of tourists should not happen, unfortunately this is on
the rise and it impacts the whole tourism sector.” says Nilankur.
Sanna Cutter, an aunt of Felix Dahl found dead on the streets of
Agonda in 2018 feels that even
expats who run local businesses deny safety concerns in Goa “The long term
expat communities (who are running businesses in Goa, full-time or just
seasonally) take on a defensive approach and deny the facts of the safety
issues or these killings in Goa. Some even go as far as blaming the victims for
their own deaths. She expresses her sorrow mentioning that people have learnt
to live with the tourists’ killings and take them as a part of everyday life in
the state. “I have been told about a young Russian woman that was found dead in
Arambol two weeks ago, but as nothing has been on the media I haven’t been able
to find anything else as yet.”, she adds.
Advocate and Women activist, Caroline Collaco talks
about the safety measures and self safety measures that tourists need to take.
“The tourists should be made to feel safe if the government is luring them to
visit Goa. “Since beaches are the major draw, all famous beach locations should
have adequate lighting, help lines and emergency numbers of police, 181, etc
should be placed at major venues like airport, bus stop, and tourists should be
informed of them, note the local Embassy contact details
Perception will change if messaging is
direct
There should be constant and direct messaging on these lines.
Travelling alone and at a party be alert about your drink and not leave it
unguarded, inform someone close (a family or friend) of travel plans if
shifting places of stay. Tourist police should be more visible and proactive to
enforce rules and safety measures.”
Its
clear, just one death is enough to push back a year’s work on managing Goa’s
tourist safety perception
