PANJIM: All attempts to correct the image of ‘God’s Own Abode’ – as how Tourism Minister Manohar Azgaonkar describes Goa on his Twitter handle – in terms of the safety of tourists is turning futile.
The coastal State has once again come under criticism in the international media with the rape of a British backpacker finding its way into CNN, irishpost.com, dailymail.co.uk among others. The latest incident in the very village where an Irish tourist was also sexually assaulted and murdered in March 2017 has been covered with headlines “A British tourist, 48, raped in the same Indian town where Irish tourist was sexually assaulted and killed last year”, “British woman, 48, is raped in Goa as she walked to her guesthouses”, etc.
The articles have reiterated that several other foreign women have been victims of brutality over the past few years. The news sites have described how 28 year old Danielle Mclaughlin’s mutilated body was found in the desolated area in the same village, last year. “In 2017, more than 270,000 foreign nationals traveled to the state but Goa’s reputation has been repeatedly marred by incidents of sexual assault. Last year, another British national was raped and killed near Deobagh beach. In 2008, British teenager Scarlett Keeling Eden was raped and murdered in Goa”, an extract of a news on CNN website read.
Since the rape and death of Scarlet Keeling Eden in 2008, the State has grabbed international attention for wrong reasons despite attempts to promote Goa as a safe tourist destination. After Russians, British tourists comprise the second highest international arrivals every tourist season.
Although the police have been quick enough to arrest Ramchandran Y, 31, native of Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu within 24 hours of the crime at Canacona, the case has triggered panic among the stakeholders who now fear that it might drive away foreign tourists from Goa.
Speaking to Herald, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) President Savio Messias said “It has come at the wrong time, just when the industry is under tremendous pressure and the season is about to peak. It will definitely affect the image of Goa as social media will go wild”.
Another member of the TTAG while asking the government to not sit over the Tourism Policy any further, said “Goa’s image is already tarnished for not providing adequate security to the visitors along the coast. We are not blaming the authorities because steps are taken to ensure safety and security of the holidayers as well as Goans, but incidents like this overpower the good deed. It’s high time that Goa government comes out with a concrete plan of action so that the tourism in the State is not tarnished”.
The Tourism Minister has called for a stricter vigilance along the coastal belt while emphasizing that Goa does not need drug-addict and drive-in tourists. “The police have been able to catch the accused in this case but we cannot accept such a nuisance in Goa, especially when it is an internationally acclaimed holiday hub. I have asked the police to be even stricter in its vigilance along the coastal areas”, he said reiterating that drug addicts and domestic tourists driving into Goa are “not welcome.”
Goa has already reported a bleak tourist season so far with 55 percent drop in arrivals. The charter flights have also witnessed a massive drop in October and November, and the peak period this month is also expected to be a low-key affair, as per the tourism traders.
“The foreign tourists are as it is disappointing this year. Unfortunately, an outsider committing a crime on a foreigner in Goa will largely affect the tourism industry when Goans are no where involved here”, a member of the Private Shack Owners’ Association said.
