PANJIM: Goa tourism is facing some short term and some long standing problems. We asked stakeholders what were these problems and what has been done to address them. The high rates charged by taxis, lack of e-visas, cleanliness, dog menace, touting, and high pricing by hotels and airlines and some other issues were highlighted by stakeholders. Can Goa compete with Maldives, Vietnam and Sri Lanka?
Ernest Dias, Chief Operation Officer of Travel Corporation of India said Goa is facing the long standing problem of high taxi fares. There should be freedom to choose your transports. He also underlined that there were no e-visas as offered by Maldives, Sri Lanka and other countries, which makes it easier for the tourists to travel.
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Savio Messias, Past President of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa said that Sanitation was one of the major challenges to Goa tourism. Tourists need clean beaches, there should not be garbage. Also all the beaches should have approach roads. Stray dogs are also a big menace on the beaches.
Jack Sukhija, President of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa underlined that there should not be over-tourism, because then there is pressure on the land, environment and other issues. The most important aspect is we have to maintain cleanliness. There should be access to the beach and there should not be illegal constructions which spoil the beauty of Goa
Sukhija also added that there should be technology in transportation which tourists find all over the world. The taxis should be app based. The government should put a stop to touting, shack encroachment, loud music etc.
Some issues such as high pricing by hotels and airlines are corrected by the system. As prices are lower in places such as Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, the hotels in Goa self correct the pricing.
