BY ABDUL RAUF BEIG
PANAJI: Though tourism has become a mainstay of the state’s economy over the past few decades but somehow the government has kept on reshuffling the directors of this key department quite often thereby hampering its proper functioning and growth and also creating hurdles in implementations of its own initiatives to raise Goa’s stature as a “true” and safe tourist destination. Goa has seen 10 tourism directors in a decade.

Frequent changes has resulted in some of the government schemes remaining unimplemented among which are the Heritage House Scheme, formation of tourist security force, removal of River Princess, a secured shack policy, creation of world-class tourism infrastructure and ending various other problems like the never ending dispute between the tour operators and taxi drivers/owners.
Though the initiatives for setting up world-class tourism infrastructure has been announced at regular intervals none of the directors have been able to move forward as by the time the plans were drawn and submitted to government approvals, the person holding the post found himself replaced and the reason generally given for such transfers is public interest.
Following the murder of Scarlet Kealing and various other security-related issues that cropped up soon after the murder, the state was directed to set up tourist security force by recruiting ex-service personnel for which a scheme was drawn by a retired military official but somehow it has not seen light of the day.
A senior government official who had occupied the post admitted that despite his best efforts, he failed to get the River Princess removed from its “resting’ place, adding that he also “failed” to draw a foolproof shack policy and also prevent various illegalities committed by the shack owners.
Another official said that though the scheme for rehabilitation of heritage house was finalised it has remained unimplemented for over two years. He said the scheme, modalities for which were drawn and even financing pattern approved, was drawn on the lines that existed in New Zealand (overseas) and Kerala and a few other states in India.
The frequent moves by the government has been severely criticised by the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, which feels that government’s move to change directors of this important revenue generating department were contrary to state’s own initiative to make a true global destination.
The official further said that water sport, which arrived on the tourism scene more than a decade ago, still continued to be operated unregulated and that equipment and gadgets used for it were not certified by any agency. He also said that beach cleaning has also suffered.
Yet another officer said that he had made a move to bring adventure sport and streamline other activities by bringing them under Tourist Trade Act but had failed to implement the same as he was replaced by another official. He also said that with no proper legislation in place the director of tourism could not intervene in various matters and that he had taken steps to empower the director before he was replaced.
The TTAG president, Mr Ralph de Souza said that frequent changes put the clock backwards as the new incumbent took a lot of time to learn the functioning of the department and that such changes create a sense of instability among the industry members and tour operators. He also said that due to changes marketing of Goa has suffered a lot and also affected state’s participation in world tourism trade fairs.
Demanding the need for a reasonable tenure for the government officials occupying the post of director of tourism, Mr de Souza, who is scheduled to lay office by the month end, said the government should appoint good officials who would take immediate steps to put the department in right order and handle this sensitive portfolio.
The government has changed 10 directors over the last decade with only one director, Mr N Suryanarayana, having a  three-year (longest) tenure (from June 2001 to July 2004), while two directors (Mr Arlindo Pereira – additional charge -- and Mr Arvind Loliyekar) holding charge for just around five months. Mr Sandip Jacques (first as additional charge and later in regular posting) and Mr S S Keshkamat held the post for a little over two years each. 
After that the government has changed directors four times in less than three years. Recently, the government shifted Mr Swapnil Naik, the tourism director of tourism, who had held the post for a little over a year and four months, and gave additional charge to Mr Nikhil U Dessai. Mr Elvis Gomes held the post for a period of six and half months in the first instance and than for a little over a year in the second instance.