'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,’ Shakespeare once wrote. That’s true, names often don’t mean much. A yacht owners’ club and a marina. They both sound different, but in reality they’re the same. It’s just that the former is not as ominous as the latter. It’s not as ‘dangerous’ as perceived either.
The Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has commissioned a jetty to be built in Britona as well as a star hotel; both properties are part of a ‘landmark’ project to brighten up the River Mandovi with high-class yachts. This move is commendable, and although it will receive a lot of flak from certain quarters, yet to be determined, this project spells hope for an upgraded Goa, in terms of tourism.
The GTDC has already selected a company that will take charge of the development of this project, which will include a hotel that sports all the amenities, and much over 30 floating docks, where the boats will be able to moor. The yacht owners' club is rumoured to have facilities for refueling and washing, among other things, all of which are part of a full-fledged marina. The project is for a period of 30 years initially, with the chance to extend it for another 30 years. There is a concession fee of Rs 10.10 crore and the GTDC also earns five per cent of the operating profits. The five per cent may look like a small figure now, but it has tremendous potential.
Let’s assume that the government is trying to sugarcoat the marina and position it as a yacht owners' club. Can anyone blame them? Every time a project of this sort gets proposed there are numerous groups that attempt to poke large holes in it. Undoubtedly, there are often enough reasons to do so, but somewhere down the line there has to be some course correction.
There are plans to position Goa as an upmarket brand, and yes, there is a lot of work to be done before that happens. We need to have better and cleaner roads, safer and cleaner beaches, stringent laws that disapprove of unplanned and illegal development. But also, somewhere along the line, we have to begin a parallel journey to that destination, whereby we start creating infrastructure to accommodate a better class of tourists. The requirements are simple. An abundance of five star hotels. Check. Marinas for yachts. No. Golf course. No. Private airfields. No. There are different kinds of projects that need to be put in motion, alongside the plan to spruce up the existing amenities and infrastructure. This ‘yacht owners' club’ is one such project and as such should definitely be allowed to progress.
