Is the government trying to cover tourism losses with a belated addition of Sunburn Klassique to its calender? Yes, it means just that. It’s a helpless situation that Goa has landed itself in with a nearly 40 per drop in tourists this season. A bread-and-butter industry which the State is banking on as a major source of revenue is crumbling. Now what? With the tourism season in its last leg, betting on carnival festivities to woo tourists and cut loses doesn’t appear encouraging. Enter Sunburn, and it brings a ray of hope.
Sunburn Klassique is all set to make a comeback after a two-year hiatus. The shorter version of the EDM promises two days of nostalgia on February 23 and 24. The media is told that NOCs are issued and the decks are cleared.
But what about the arrears? The million dollar question of outstanding money is quietly swept under the rug. Agreed that desperate times call for desperate measures, but why February-end when the tourism season is almost winding up? This may be a last ditch attempt to salvage tourism losses, but at what cost? Has the government settled issues with this sudden decision? There are questions that need answers. Goans need to understand the fine-print of the deal.
If we may recall, Dilip Parulekar during his tenure as tourism minister and his counterpart in the current term Manohar Babu Ajgaonkar, till a few days backs, were firm over not allowing EDMs in the state until all arrears were cleared. There was not a word over Percept’s claims of the money which the government owed them. Government had revealed that a total of Rs 6.29 crore was outstanding since 2011-12 as part of entertainment tax, traffic cell charges and police arrangements for Sunburn.
If the government has let bygones be bygones, it has to come clear on how it settled the issue over which Percept was even slapped a couple of notices and there was a sort of uproar. It is only because of the arrears that government parted ways with Sunburn.
It’s time government learns lessons from tourism failures. It’s not only the EDMs, but a lot needs to change. It’s a welcome sign when we hear of police cracking down on nuisance-creating tourists and those drinking in the open. But these sporadic instances cannot wipe off a hugely-tainted and ‘dirty’ picture that we see very often. If Bengaluru tourists were pulled up for cooking outside the South Goa Collectorate on Monday evening, tourists went unnoticed when they were openly changing clothes right in the heart of Mapusa. If four tourists were arrested for drinking in the open in Anjuna and another nine arrested in Calangute for the same offence, there are hundreds elsewhere who are having a free run. Greater enforcement is the need of the hour.
