TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: The tourism industry has asked for land at cheap rate, soft loans and tax holiday in the proposed Investment Policy for Goa, as evidenced at a panel discussion on the Investment policy organised by Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Saturday.
While asking for at least three lakh to five lakh square meters of land allocated under the tourism master plan, representatives of the tourism sector strongly advocated for consistency in policies irrespective of change in government. “There is need to reduce capital costs and need to give investors security and reason to invest in Goa,” said Travel and Tourism Association of Goa chief Francis Braganza.
Braganza further said, “There has to be a Tourism Board which survives any government and is given the powers to work out scenarios attractive for investors to invest in tourism related avenues.”
The industry today pointed out that private investment was the need of the hour to bring in tourism investment in terms of golf courses, marinas, convention centres which will add value to Goa as a tourist destination.
The tourism sector representatives strongly opined that the government can play the role of a facilitator and provider of infrastructure for private investors.
Braganza however pointed to problems relating to availability of land which he felt needed to be addressed urgently by the government. He also said that the Tourism Master Plan should also demarcate areas/zones where private investors could put up tourism projects to boost tourism in Goa.
The TTAG chief opined that quantum of land to the tune of three lakh to five lakh square meters should be marked out in the tourism master plan wherever feasible, for investors to invest.
The tourism stakeholders also suggested that some mechanisms need to be worked out for guiding investors and establishing machinery for expediting the process of approvals required.
While suggestions were made for giving thrust to promotion of rural tourism and heritage tourism, it was also suggested that the government should work out incentives for those employing maximum Goans, both in the tourism and IT sectors.
They asked for better transportation for employees from tourism and IT who work on late night shifts both. The discussion also concluded that investors should be given the right to choose plots rather than thrust certain locations on them.
During the panel discussions other suggestions were for creating skilled manpower, upgrading academic syllabus in different fields and for greater industry –academic linkages.
