Goa Tourism
José Colaço
November 16, 1999 

Goa Tourism[3] - José Colaço     continued from  2

The Government :

The Government has the ultimate responsibility of ensuring that a fine balance exists between the need for job and opportunity creation, the development of projects, the informed opinion and consent of the host community, the need for dialogue and perhaps some consensual compromise and the maintenance of a a proper balance.

Expectations:

* that the tour operators will work within the law, obtain the appropriate licenses, pay the appropriate utility dues and taxes.
* that the host community will work in concert with the government. If job opportunities have to be created then reasonable and pre-discussed and agreed-to development must be facilitated without much disruption.

Responsibilities :

* To ensure that all existing and new developments are lawful.
* To ensure that ALL facilities meet the required health, pollution control, noise level regulations as provided by law. If such laws are not in situ, that such laws are enacted to protect the host population. * To improve the overall security afforded to Tourists and Residents alike. * To ensure that ALL senior government civil servants are either Goans or have lived and experienced Goa for a sufficient number of years; enough to comprehend that Goans have their aspirations for upward mobility and need for peace and tranquility. * To actively weed out corrupt civil servants who are easily bribed or demand bribes and discourteous immigration and customs officials who harass visitors at Dabolim airport. ( On our last visit early 1999, we observed all the Goan Customs officers scatter as this NE Indian 'chief' at Dabolim Airport, was busy harassing visitors from Europe. Special mention must also be made of the absolutely disgraceful harassment of the Goan workers from the Gulf. These hardworking individuals are put through the mill as they arrive at the quite odorous Sahar Airport in Mumbai ) * To improve the chaotic and dangerous driving conditions and traffic on Goa's roads.

The Goa Press and Watchdog agencies:

Thus far the Goa Press has done a marvelous job of in the following areas:

* masterful inactivity * selective lead-following * much too little, much too late * pious glossing over.

The primary order of press business, thus far has been, to flog emotive and divisive issues like language and religion. The people got worked up on the peripherals, the agenda went through anyhow and so did the corrupt deals.

And yet, we have brilliant and very capable Goan journalists. They are being kept in their place ....as far as the Goa Press is concerned.

Of the watchdog agencies, two stand out as remarkable : The Goa Foundation led by Claude and Norma Alvares and the Saligao based Civic Cell organized by  Muriel D'Souza & Mario Mascarenhas. The Goa Foundation appears to be over-stretched while the Saligao duo are striving valiantly.

As far as the press in concerned, the good work of these organizations is not newsworthy. Effective marginalization has been organized and put into place by the non-Goan or " self-serving" Goan editors of the newspapers.

And Goa ? .....you tell me.

Is Goa really one of your priorities ? How good is the Goa Tourism product ?. Are we proud of it ? Are we doing enough to protect it ?

Or are we like Nero.....fiddling away...while this once beautiful land called Goa disintegrates beyond recognition !

conclusion: 

Of the many tourists who come to Goa, there are two sets who are more discerning than others. These are Goans who return home for a holiday and the Five Star tourists.

Let us attempt to visualize the trip from their view point and ascertain what we can do to improve the Goan-tourism product without degrading the Goan environment.

The discerning tourists will normally arrive in India on one of the premier airlines e.g. Lufthansa, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Delta, Air France, Emirates and Swissair. ( Some will avail of the direct charter flights to Goa )

The arrival times at the Bombay/Mumbai  Sahar airport are usually in the early morning hours.

The first sights and smells of the Sahar airport are depressing. Despite all the departure taxes collected, the Sahar airport is a picture of gradual degradation. For the weary traveler, the rest room facilities at that airport are a true disgrace.

While Bombay Customs has improved, Immigration is very chaotic and can be rude. At the wee hours of the morning, after a long and tiring flight, with the smell and untidiness around you, the last thing one wants to be faced is rudeness and chaos. No problem with doing one's job or following regulations. Rudeness is not something that a discerning tourist has to tolerate.

In order to travel to Goa, one has to travel to the domestic airport in Bombay which is a couple of miles away. Sure, if the timing is right, one might be able to take the once a week Air-India flight to Goa directly from Sahar.

The Domestic airport ( old Santa Cruz ) is in better physical shape than Sahar International but more chaotic. Even so, what strikes ones olfactory and optic senses most is the journey between the two airports. All one sees and smells is the " Morning in Mumbai ". For a tourist on a visit to this land of brilliant scientists, teachers, journalists, engineers et al, it is a wake up call - while the residents make their call upon waking up.

The 5-star hotels in Bombay are very good and so is the food and service but the journey to get to them is a nightmare. The two Centaur hotels in the vicinity of the Sahar Airport do not display the room-quality of 5-star hotels, only the price.

Getting on a flight to Goa is usually easy, especially if one chooses to fly Jet Airways. The staff is courteous and the in-flight service first rate. Sahara Airlines comes in a close second. The flight itself is short and pleasant, and if the flight path takes the coastal route, the view from the window seat is breathtaking.

Goa Airport, the arrivals lounge and the non-functioning luggage trolleys indicate that Goa is not really serious about Tourism.

Except for a few hotels with decent courtesy buses, the ride to anywhere in Goa can like a trip on a roller coaster. Some of the more careful drivers are the older ones. Pity that their taxis appear older than their drivers. The younger drivers take off as if they are on the Grand Prix circuit.

I don't know if any body is taking note but from the looks of things, it does not appear that Goa is interested in Tourism or the Tourists, only in the money which can be made.

Here are some of the positives of Goa which attract discerning tourists :

1. Goa's unique Luso-Indian culture, music, heritage, history and architecture. 2. Goa's incredible natural beauty. 3. The hospitable Goan people. 4. The incredible Goan cuisine.


Here are some of the turn-offs :

1. The horrible and hazardous roads, transport facilities and traffic. 2. The corrupt police and other civil officials. 3. The filth in the restaurants. 4. The mosquito menace and the hazard of contracting malaria. 5. The increase in crime. 6. The increasing presence of 'ravers' and 'boisterous charter tourists'. 7. The destruction of the environment by the concrete jungles on the beaches. 8. The level of noise pollution. 9. The ubiquitous tricksters who dupe the tourists. 10. The horrid dirt-spots also known as Bus and Railway Stations.

The so called Department of Tourism is a joke. One only needs to visit their flagship i.e. the Tourist Hostels at Calangute, Panaji and Margao to get a 'flavour' of the Tourist Department's commitment to Tourism in Goa. Sure! do remember to visit them but please remember to wear a mask and a pair of gloves.

In conclusion, I reiterate that the Government of Goa and Goa does not appear to be really serious about Tourism. If it was, some lessons from other major Tourist hot spots in the world would have been learnt.

Goa would have learnt by now that good hotels with good facilities including golf courses and well controlled casinos bring in good tourists and discourage the riff-raff. Besides that, the whole tourist route right from Port of Entry, Immigration, Customs, Transport, Hotel, Facilities to route and Port of Departure....yes ...this whole route needs to be well oiled.

Even socialist Cuba is beginning to learn that lesson. Cuba has really taken off in the field of tourism.  I wonder when our learned Goans will begin to read the writing on the wall.

The job of coordinating the whole Tourism effort is that of the Department of Tourism. But I seriously wonder if anybody at that so-called Department of Tourism is working.

As has been said before " the folks at Goa's Department of Tourism might just be there for the job. Nobody said anything about doing any work !!"



José Colaço  ©Nov 1999  

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Goa Travel Advisory

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