As I see it tourism is today Goa’s most dynamic industry and everyone can benefit from it and this can keep Goa going for all time BUT only if we give our guests – the visiting tourists a fair deal, good treatment and they feel good at the end of their holiday in Goa, so they can become our best advertisers for more tourists to visit Goa and also come again and again.
And why should they come to Goa. Because Goa is unique, a one of a kind destination , that has a unique history of Portuguese rule, that’s different from any place in India . It has a population that is very tolerant and fun-loving which is ideal for vacations. People of Goa love to have a good time and Guests are easily included in their midst to enjoy their stay. Goa has beautiful beaches, safe for swimming, good weather, good facilities, beautiful Ghats and hinterlands, in fact the whole state is really ideal for having a good vacation.
However certain improvements need to be done so that the visitors feel safe and their stay is comfortable and they get value for money. And they go back from Goa satisfied as our ambassadors who will recommend Goa as a wonderful place to go to. And what can be done and how?
For example those that come by cars or buses …we charge an entry fee at all our state borders that’s fine but then that’s the place to check all their vehicle documents. Have a closed circuit video recording all entrants as a security measure and after checking documents give the vehicles a clear chit so they are not stopped by traffic police at every town after they cross the border and again checked, delayed, questioned for documents and all sorts of papers till as is rumored they fork out money as bribes and only then they are allowed to proceed to their destination and the story repeats on the road all the time. By all means vehicles may be stopped for checking licence of the driver and for drunk driving but not for documents.
Again welcome arches and tourist facilitation centers at all entry points to give information, guide tourists, a Dos and Don’ts list , hotel booking counter, proper clean toilets would go a long way in making them feel welcome and educate them about Goa. A counter to register their comments, suggestions and most important their observations and complaints regarding services they received specially when they are departing from Goa on their way back home would also help as a guideline as to how Goa can improve it’s services.
Similar is the case of tourists who hire motorcycles — its rumoured that cops harass them — a rule can be put in place putting the onus of checking for valid licences of the owner of the vehicle and such vehicles driven without helmets for both the driver and passenger detained to stop danger to riders, fined and not allowed to drive off if they do not have a licence. Most important the rogue cops who allegedly ‘rob’ tourists and others by ‘waylaying’ them on roads and demanding bribes should be stopped because a horrible image of Goa’s cops is making its way all over India and the world.
And who will go to a place where safety, which is to be guaranteed by the Ppolice, is not in place thanks to these few rogue cops who have been known to plant drugs and extort money, bully youngsters and rob them as per newspaper reports in the past tell us.
This should be a priority on our Home Minister’s and Tourism Minister’s list for improving and nourishing Tourism.
Next comes the taxis, rickshaws and motorcycle pilots. All should be compulsorily made to install meters and proper rates fixed with special rates at night, for return trips or whatever but all should be documented so that the tourists can choose their mode of transport and all this dadagiri as reported in South Goa about nobody being allowed to pick up guests at hotels and compulsory use of their local taxis that charge as they want has to stop.
There are many many more such improvements that need to be put in place from garbage collection and treatment , improved traffic management, proper signages to guiding tourists to various places.
The Government should sit for discussions with all the stake holders from TTAG to taxi drivers to shack owners to watersport operators so that a proper Tourism Policy can be worked out. In fact this should have been done long ago or during the slack season so that Goa could have been ready when the season starts. Perhaps this monsoon season a genuine effort can be done.
It is never too late to put things in order and this should be done by discussions with all stakeholders rather than making trips all over the world at Government cost and trying to implement what works there in Goa.
We in Goa are unique in our own way — be it the topography, beaches, costs, people, facilities and those in the trade know best what sells, what needs to be done, what is lacking and what is best for Goa and what we can offer to our guests. Tourists leaving Goa after their holidays are the best guides to know both what’s wrong and what’s lacking.
Tourism can sustain Goa for all time if properly managed. It should not be a policy of getting more and more tourists, getting upper class tourists , discouraging backpackers and the like but welcoming all and offering them the best of Goa without depriving our population of their basic needs while providing livelihoods for the people of Goa.
(The author is an owner of boat cruises)
