PANJIM: The Goa Forward Party (GFP) has demanded a ban on the tourism road shows and international trips in the wake of poor response from quality tourists in the State. GFP president and former deputy chief minister Vijai Sardesai has held Pramod Sawant-led government responsible for the downfall in the tourism sector.
“Tourism road shows fetch no results but it has turned into a picnic for the tourism minister (Manohar Ajgaonkar) and his family. Tourism has slowed down for which the government is completely responsible,” he said addressing a press conference at his party office in the capital on Saturday.
Sardesai pointed out to how the three deaths at the Sunburn Klassique venue during the three-day event at Vagator have further dented Goa’s mage as safe tourism destination. “We have seen three people dying on the eve of New Year for the EDM. Minister Michael Lobo says that Narcotics Control Bureau is not functioning. There is proliferation of drugs and justification for it is given that EDM had turnover of Rs 250 crore. For scum of earth we are giving red carpet and doing tourism. We feel that government is solely responsible for fall in tourism,” he said demanding total ban on the foreign trips by Tourism Department and road shows.
In the tweet thereafter, the party mentioned, “After all the extravagant jaunts the tourism minister has taken around the globe, all he’s managed to attract are the domestic ones who get drunk in public, create nuisance and relieve themselves on our beaches.”
Lobo, in his tweet on Friday has sought for a study on why foreign tourists are shying away from visiting Goa. “We have done something wrong for foreign tourists to stop coming to Goa. They are going to some other places. We need to study this and implement rules which are in place or frame new rules so that tourists don’t go back with bad memories,” he tweeted.
