Now, TTAG gets choosy, wants well-behaved tourists

PANJIM: After Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar last month saying that Goa wants the ‘richest tourists’, the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa has now said it wants well-behaved tourists in Goa and that penalties be imposed on those who create a nuisance.

Seeking proper planning and promotion of Goa in national and international markets, with inputs from industry stakeholders, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa president Nilesh Shah said international or domestic tourists should maintain decency.

“We want well-behaved tourists in Goa. We don’t want tourists creating nuisance and those cooking on the roadside,” he said.

Shah said the tourist police force should be activated and complaints should be addressed fast. Tourists should also maintain basic decency in the State, he said, adding that there are laws but they should be strictly implemented.

“There has to be a good transport system and facilities like changing rooms and toilets for tourists. Efforts should be genuine and signage of ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ be put up at important touristic places,” he said. 

Shah’s comments come less than a month after Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar had said something similar and had added that Goa wants ‘richest tourists’ (see quote box). 

Stating that a large number of domestic tourists visiting the State is a good sign in these pandemic times, Shah said there should be proper pricing of COVID-19 tests. 

According to Shah, there is a policy for promotion of hinterland and eco-tourism and the government has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for that. He suggested that the government should take locals into confidence while promoting hinterland and eco-tourism.

“We are looking into all segments of tourism. There is scope for Russian, French and Portuguese speaking guides. Tourist guides programme should go with language training programme,” he said.

The TTAG president further said the State government has already constituted the Goa Tourism Board to be headed by the Chief Minister. There would be 16 members – eight from the industry and eight from the government. 

One of the functions of the Goa Tourism Board will be to develop the broad guidelines and action plan for implementation of identified initiatives in the Goa Tourism Master Plan such as marketing and promotion activities, tourism education, development of infrastructure, new tourism services through State funding and private sector participation.