With a 155 kilometre coastline and a tourism industry
that once hinged on the sun and sand
factor that the state had to offer, Goa has a lot
to be proud about. More so when a beach or
three made it to the top 10 lists, whether in
India, Asia or the world. But in the recent past, that instances
of Goan beaches taking their place of pride on top 10 lists
has been few and far between, and the reasons for it, most of
them, are very obvious. The recent lack of Goan representation
on TripAdvisor’s top 25 beaches in the world for 2017 speaks
volumes.
If it’s long stretches of sand, with coconut trees on one side
and a wild ocean on the other, then Goa’s beaches stand tall,
especially in India, where development of beaches - whether
for tourism or otherwise “ is not so widespread. Only a handful
of shorelines, like those in Kerala or the Andamans, can
match up to a Goan beach. But there’s a lot more to a beautiful
beach that meets the eye. Sunsets
look beautiful from anywhere, the
colour of the sea and sand is relative
to the location of the beach,
and the amount of development
around it.
So where has Goa fallen short?
For one, it would be the large scale
mismanagement of beach tourism.
Tourists “ no matter where they are
from “ are allowed to run riot on
the beach, be it with beer bottles
or other trash. Smaller resorts and
shacks also let affluents out into the water, thus marring the
colour of the shore. But that’s not all, sand erosion also plays
a part in the degradation of the once beautiful Goan beach.
Whether it’s natural reasons or man-made, with widespread
development along the beach, the now visible lack of sand
dunes and natural barriers due to the eroding sand, is a scar
that just won’t heal. However, all that pales in comparison to
the rampant building of shacks and restaurant on the beach,
beach carrying capacities be damned. More establishments
leads to more footfalls and that obviously leads to more trash
and affluents.
What Goa needs is a large outlook to tourism, even on the
beach. If other regions can offer a variety of things to do on
their beaches, why can’t Goa? The only thing stopping the
state is a lack of ideas and the will to implement them. This
is where the government and its departments have to step in.
It’s not a tall order in many ways. This doesn’t have to be done
so that Goa can once again win awards. Those will come. This
has to be done so that Goans can once again be proud of their
beaches.
