Goa may see an influx of major projects, have flyovers and roads, have infrastructure brands moving in; its landscape may see a total transformation with high-rise super multiplexes and American-style condos and European-style villas communities; its culinary and entertainment scene may be a straight lift from any other international metro, leaving no difference between Atlanta and Anjuna; it may the home of the best chefs; restaurateurs and bartenders, but does it remain Goa?
Owning all the property in Goa makes outside buyers owners of land, not owners of Goa
There are the best brands here, there are music festivals with DJs flown in from all over the world, have noise-defying trance parties, flirting and breaking the rules with absolute impunity, and then there are those with enormous wealth who have transferred small parts of it to Goa which is just another pretty destination for them to party and holiday. But they seem to be having one confusion. Buying almost all the property available makes them owners of properties. Not owners of Goa. And this is the confusion that must be cleared.
But even the political system is moving away from locals
The political class plays smart politics. They see where the wealth and the votes come from. The demographics of many of these areas have undergone a sea change – literally. Protecting local interests is no longer a priority and may not even be necessary if this trend continues. Parties do not matter because the politicians have no ideology or loyalty. He simply looks at the best deal for himself. He doesn’t care if local or outsider interests are protected as long as his needs are.
That is why Goa is undergoing massive changes altering the demography and geography of Goa.
Let Singapore be Singapore, let Goa be Goa – not even Andheri
Why should Goa aim to be like Singapore with Singapore-style infrastructure? Let Goa be Goa. The most beautiful towns in Italy, France and Portugal have remained tourism magnets because they are still local. They keep vehicles out, leaving people to explore their beauty on foot, the food is local with fresh produce from nearby farms and dairies and poultry farms. In the evenings the pubs and restaurants, all owned by locals become centres of socialising and entertainment. The local council and the community benefit. If you think carefully, Goa was just like that.
Goa’s tourism in that very belt was based on long-term relationships between locals and regular foreigners. These bonds were even often sealed with long term friendships and even marriages.
In a recent article in The Hindustan Times, titled “The Taste With Vir: Was the boom in Goa too good to last and is a bust on its way?” noted writer and journalist Vir Sanghvi writes: “A basic five-star hotel in Bangkok is between two-thirds to half the price compared to Goa rates. Nor are the newer Goa hotels necessarily beach properties. Many of them look like they could have been built in Gurgaon, Noida or Andheri. And now that you don’t need a visa to go to many Far Eastern countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam etc. Indian tourists have an attractive alternative.”
The System is going out of the hands of Goans and into the hands of the wealthy
But there has been almost permanent damage. The system is going out of the hands of Goans and into the hands of those who have wealth to distribute and acquire more land and assets.
To cater to their needs and more people like them the nature of Goa’s infrastructure and tourism development seems to be curated according to their requirements. And this is happening by building a wall between them and the Goans pushing the original inhabitants of this land more and more to the margins, almost as if to say, “We love Goa and want to share it only with people like us.”
A slew of top-end branded restaurants that are coming upon by the hour in Assagao, Anjuna, Vagator and Arpora. These places could be anywhere in the world with cuisine and cocktails that are surely top-class. But then these are also local coastal villages that had their peace, charm, and their sense of food. These were all traditional fishing communities who have been uprooted from their land and culture.
From being contended inhabitants of their lands Goans are now full-time activists or lamenters. Those who have the strength to fight are taking on what was their system but are now taken over by the wealthy outsiders who continue to manipulate and control the system at the cost of Goans.
Brand Goa benefits when community Goa benefits
Goa’s long-term success and brand building lies in linking the State’s progress with the community’s progress. It should look at including local village communities in all aspects of tourism. This should start at the planning level and take it up to the participation level. International tourism infrastructure is not needed in their villages. Their village culture traditions, music, handicrafts and other skills are what make the brand Goa. The world must come to the doorstep of these Goans to partake and contribute to Goa thereby directly putting wealth in the hands of local stakeholders, leading to the prosperity of the local communities and villages.
Can a State progress when the local becomes an opponent and not a friend?
Community-based tourism is a genuine experience, it’s a two-way interaction between local communities and visitor communities. This two-way experience enriches both the visitor and the local and, most importantly, encourages the local to be a part of the overall “host experience”. Currently the local is being removed from playing host. He therefore has no stake in the process and that turns him into an opponent and for very strong reasons.
Is this fair? That Goans are pushed out
What the system is doing instead, is bringing an outside world so different from Goa’s traditional world and forcing the people to either adjust or be pushed out.
Here’s another passage from Sanghvi’s article “I think it is fair to say that it is much harder to get a good Goan meal in Goa now than it was say, a decade ago. The current influx of tourists has virtually no interest in Goan food or culture. If you go to say, Malaysia or Thailand, you are conscious of being in a foreign country with its language, traditions and cuisine. But many of the tourists who came to Goa now treat it as just another part of India. They have no interest in all the things that used to make Goa different or special.”
Therefore value Brand Goa. And the brand Goa can only mean a brand where local communities come first. Make them participants and stakeholders as well as beneficiaries of the tourism value chain.
The system will then understand that there is no bigger brand than this Brand Goa, available right here but ignored and crushed for the benefits and personal “development” of those who attain power.
