TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: Tourism marts and road shows held in India and abroad will produce results in the next tourism season during the regime of the present government according to Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar.
He was replying during Question Hour Tuesday to Opposition questions over exorbitant expenditure incurred during Goa’s participation in the World Tourism Mart in London last year. The questions were raised by Alexio Reginald Lourenco (Congress MLA-Curtorim), Vijai Sardesai (Independent MLA-Fatorda) and Rohan Khaunte (Independent MLA –Porvorim).
Khaunte in his queries to the tourism ministry said, “You have spent over Rs one a crore on a WTM London for three to four days in a destination where tourists inflow to Goa is not increasing. You should now tap East European markets instead of European markets which are reeling under economic recession.”
Khaunte took a dig at the government’s Rs 1.10 crore expenses on the WTM London stating that while on the one hand the government was talking of austerity measures that on the other hand it was flushing down money unnecessarily on wrong markets for tourism promotion.
In reply, Chief Minister Parrikar said, “You will see the effect in the next (year’s) statistics.” Parriker defended the government’s expenditure on the WTM stating that money was being spent to retain the market, adding further that it was slipping only because of recession. He said that if more money had been spent it was only because Goa gave a better display and had a bigger stall area.
Earlier, tourism minister said that huge amounts had been spent in the last three years of more than Rs 50 lakhs for just 40 sq meters or 20 square meters of stall space at International tourism marts. He refused to take the blame for the drop in tourist arrivals from UK.
During the heated deliberations on the issue Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai sought to know why Goa was promoting tourism in Kathmandu where the currency was weaker than India and pointed out that it was not the destination that would bring in high spending tourists or quality tourists.
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo was however nipped by chief minister Parrikar when the former tried to raise the issue of Russians taking over tourism related businesses in Goa. He had sought to know what was the government’s action plan to tap quality tourists in the next four years through its road shows.
The entire issue on tourism promotion emanated from Curtorim MLA’s query on empanelment of agencies for road shows and tourism promotion in international and national markets where he alleged fixing of tenders.
He said, “I was able to get the list of road shows allotted to the empanelled companies even before the tenders were opened.”
The chief minister however did not take this lightly and asked Reginaldo whether he was part of the fixing as only then it was possible for anyone to get the results before the tenders were opened. He however said that the three year term of the present empanelled agencies lapses in March this year and the government will have the empanelment process done afresh. Parrikar said if the government wanted it could have scrapped the empanelled agencies selected by the earlier government. He also said that it was not possible to have any kind of fixing in case of e-tendering but added that if there was any setting under this process he would take action.
Parrikar also defended the attendance of Power minister Milind Naik at the WTM-London stating that he had permitted Naik to attend the same. He also said that many times clearances for international trips by ministers are obtained from the Ministry of external affairs telephonically and formalities
