PANJIM: A delegation of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) met Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao on Thursday and shared with him their problems and concerns about the proposed Tourism Bill.
Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) represented by former President Savio Messias, Tito Goes and Aakash Madgavkar met the Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao at his Chamber in Assembly Complex at Porvorim and submitted a memorandum highlighting various issues faced by the tourism sector.
In the Memorandum, TTAG has stated that the proposed bill of the Tourism Department provides for a very haphazard framework which will do nothing to improve the tourism work in Goa, but will rather kill the Industry.
The bill speaks more about penalties, punishments, fines and fees which will lead to increase in costs to the tourism sector and government controls in every area of Tourism, the TTAG has said.
It has pointed out that there are various deviations in the proposed bill from the tourism policy 2020 with respect to representation for the local tourism stakeholders.
The tourism trade body has also said that the bill has provisions for some national bodies who have no role to play in tourism industry of Goa.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the representatives, Yuri Alemao said “TTAG also raised the issue of high taxation, imposition of development and sustainability fee and various other issues which the tourism stakeholders claim to be draconian.”
Alemao alleged that the BJP government has killed the mining industry in Goa and now they want to finish tourism industry.
“Their only focus is on every inch of Goan land which they want to sell to the crony capitalists of Delhi. I will take up this issue in the upcoming Assembly Session and seek explanation from the Government,” the Leader of Opposition said.
