TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: Salon and Spa Owners have formed the Goa Salon and Spa Association to promote and protect the interests of the industry as well as spa owners.

Explaining the need for establishing such an association President Ryan Semelhago said that the association will be a platform for ethical industry players to address the issues they face.

“The salon and spa sector in Goa has been growing in an unorganised way all these years. This association will bring some semblance of order and protect the business interests of our members. There are a lot of unethical sleaze and fly by night operators that have gives a bad name to the rest of the industry,” Semelhago told media persons.

The Association will induct ethical entrepreneurs involved in running spas including three, four and five star hotels through a screening process. Membership to the association will be through references only and all who wish to become members of the association will have to prove their credentials and before they become core members of the association.

In addition the association will also serve as a body to take up issues with the government especially the health and tourism departments, the two departments that the industry interacts with. According to Semelhago, the association will prepare a white paper that defines the industry in a concise manner, including classification of spas, the applicable laws, mandatory licences, taxation policies as well as a code of ethics for the industry.

The Association was launched by the Deputy Chief Minister Francisco de Souza who spoke on the occasion congratulating the association for their launch. President of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Manguirish Pai Raikar who welcomed the association as an industry body asked them to join the GCCI