Savio Messias makes his own pitch. He has had a hand in bringing revenue to youth football, setting upo a football academy, allowing bamboo huts to be built on Palolem beach and now ensuring that th Goa stall in the world travel mart looks good.
Messias has fulfilled many goals.Hotelier, footballadministrator and now Vice president of the Travel and Tourism Association ofGoa, Savio is an ambassador in his own right of two of Goas best jewels-tourism and football
As the Vice President of Travel and Tourism Association ofGoa, Savio Messias has decided not to attend the World Travel Mart in Berlin.But still he wants Goa’s stall to be different. “TTAG wants Goa to be brandeddifferently and make it look exciting so that the stall can fetch long termprofit for Goa’s tourism,” says Messias.
For a man who is more known for turning grassroots footballtalent programme of the Goa Football Association on its head, tourism is justanother vehicle to project Goa internationally.
“I live next to thefamous Vasco Sports Club. From a fan to a sports administrator of the club, Imanaged to don the role of General Secretary of the Goa Football Associationuntil 2008,” Messais said.
Messais who has contributed in a big way for youth developmentin Goan soccer was first to convince beverage giant Coco Cola to invest inGoa’s youth football development programme. At present he has partneredBrazilian footballers Beto and Barreto to run a “Futebol Academy” in Agassaim.
Juggling between football and tourism comes naturally toMessais. In ’80s when tourism was just getting in its stride in Goa, Messaisprovided basic services in his hotel, Hotel Bismark in Vasco.
“I realized Goa gets a lot of tourists from UK, who keptcoming to Goa. We can’t offer them the same experience every time,” explainedMessais.
Living the years of the past, he recounted how 26 years agowhen he along with some charter tourists had gone for an overnight excursion toPalolem, they discovered a barren and silent Palolem.
“Since CRZ rules didn’t permit me to build a concreteconstruction near the sea, I engaged local craftsmen to set up bamboo huts atPalolem. The huts were an instant hit,” Messais recollected.
Palolem is flooded with bamboo huts now, but the credit forstarting the initiative goes to Messais.
In days when river cruise was unheard of in Goa, Messaissailed off St Augustine, a wooden dhow from Panjim’s tourism jetty to Old Goajetty with a dinner thrown in as an extra. “The idea is to recreate nostalgiaof the past is wonderful but my real joy was when I got the lone steam engineto ply with tourist from Vasco to Chandor,” grins Messais.
The never-say-die man has been redefining the rules of thegame. Just when his hotel was being written off in the face of a stiffcompetition from new players, Messais tied up with a Hotel and TravelManagement education chain to start Heritage Institute of Hotel Management.“Goa has acute shortage of manpower in the hotel industry. That is why Istarted a hotel management institute”, said Messais.
Even as years roll by the man has not lost his penchant forreinventing himself.
