Casinos not on govt agenda?
Operators play ball, but dept fighting shy at ITM
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, OCT 15
Despite being the only State in the country to have casinos, the State Government seems to be reluctant in promoting casinos in its official tourism agenda.
At the International Tourism Mart, which got underway yesterday, at Bandodkar Grounds, Campal-Panjim, the casino operators took centre stage with several stalls showcasing casinos in Goa.
A top Tourism Department official admitted that Goa is fighting shy of whole-heartedly promoting casinos in its official tourism agenda.
Speaking to reporters here, managing director of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Nikhil Desai said that the casino industry was not a highlight of Goa’s tourism agenda.
“It is true that the government does not try to promote casino in its official communication,” said Desai, who was part of the travel mart-related seminar dealing with the issue of encouraging tourism-oriented synergy between West Coast States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.
“Casinos have to co-exist. They have to follow certain guidelines on the basis of which their operations are allowed,” Desai cautiously said.
Elaborately decorated, stalls operated by major casino operators in the State like ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Casino Carnival’, ‘Chances Casino’, among others have grabbed the centre stage at the ITM Goa.
The casino industry has found active and vocal support from key members of the ruling Congress-led coalition government, with Chief Minister Digambar Kamat even saying that money generated from the casino industry was being pumped into the social sector.
Top bureaucrats have been however more circumspect while speaking about the merits of the casino industry, its effect on the Goa’s tourism image.
Bureaucrats and tourism trade representatives from other States in the Western Coast region were also cautious when commenting on whether they would like to emulate Goa’s casino tourism in their own States.
Managing Director (MD) of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) Kiran Kurandkar said that the Maharashtra Government had no policy on casino oriented tourism.
MD of Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation Vinay Luthra said that as a tourism official he was open to the idea of casino tourism.
“But it is a much larger question. There are other State agencies involved,” Luthra said.
There are seven offshore casinos in Goa, apart from more than a dozen onshore casinos located in various five star hotels in the State.
