Neither the state government’s tourism establishment nor the captains of the industry have seriously engaged themselves to the challenge of getting upmarket tourists. Innovative ideas and projects only build on selling sun and sand which have been our old song.
The stakeholders as well as the government have miserably failed to identify new areas. The fact is endorsed by sustained decline in the number of foreign tourists coming to Goa during last couple of years.
Some years back the state government had decided to recommend to the Centre to tighten visa procedures in order to keep out tourists who do not have a regular income and those who are on dole. This move was not completely unjustified. But had the risk of giving a bad name to Goa and had also invited some serious debate. Little doubt with very little money tourists from foreign countries have a good time here. However let us not forget that as far as the issue of low cost of stay and travel are concerned, Goa is not the only tourist destination. Others are there too. But Goa has acquired prominence for the reason that no sincere effort has ever been made to stop vice-tourism. We have seen how over the years there has been a consistent increase in consumption of drugs and other vices.
Tourism industry in Goa has been pursuing the philosophy of grocery shop and is still not ready to adapt to the corporate concept. They are content with the number of number of arrivals only. One does not intend to say that the tourists with dole or low budget tourists have not helped Goa to emerge as the most sought after tourist destination. They have contributed a lot. But the fact also cannot be denied that there is a big section of tourists who come to Goa and indulge in unscrupulous activities. We should not be blind not to include those Indian consumers from other states. Societies across the world have classes of people earning various levels of income, and it would be unethical and prejudicial to allow certain classes and not to allow others.
The only effective way to protect the image of Goa should be to evolve a strategy to project Goa as a destination for upmarket tourists. Ideas and proposals for making it an upmarket destination have risen and been buried in the past in the face of local opposition. But the government has to prioritise its compulsions. The state government, together with the central authorities, has to take measures to contain it. Though the tourism has been the mainstay of the state economy it is an irony that the tourist promotion policy does not commensurate to it. What is the reason that its efforts to promote tourism have utterly failed? One thing is absolutely clear that so far all the promotional trips made abroad by the officials have failed to yield desired result. The reason is the trips were not organized in the professional manner. If Kerala, the main competitor of Goa closer home, succeeded in attracting high class and high spending foreign tourists it owes primarily to its promotional strategy. Backed by a sound budgetary allocation, the state has been pursuing professional approach to win over the confidence of tourists. Goa should immediately diversify its tourist activities and opt for new sectors lie eco tourism, heritage tourism, adventure tourism, etc if it wants to keep up its image of being a favourite tourist destination. There is no room for laxity in a competitive world.
