Just as the countdown began for 2020, there came in more bad news for tourism. There is around 40 per cent drop in foreign tourist arrivals on the eve of the New Year, an occasion which has been making Goa a go-to destination for decades. And even before Sunburn could wind up, a third death was reported much against the assurance that officials have tightened patrolling with sniffer dogs and ANC sleuths positioned inside the Vagator venue.
A video went viral on social media of Tourism Minister Manohar Babu Ajgaonkar dancing to the beats of Sunburn Klassique with hordes of desi tourists and locals swaying to the tempo. Inside the EDM Vagator festival venue, the mood was electric, but outside, the gloom was palpable with stakeholders worried over the slide. Buoyed by the massive turnout at Vagator, Ajgaonkar is of the view that Sunburn should be held twice a year with one in South Goa.
The traditional tourist attractions of beaches, sand and surf, the temples, churches, forts, museums and heritage sites no longer remain Goa’s selling points. The free flow of booze, narcotics, gambling, party life, sex and sleaze and now EDM festivals are driving our tourism, no matter how blunt this may sound.
And which is why we see Friday-to-Sunday local tourists rushing in. No other State offers such free flow of booze where alcohol sometimes is sold cheaper than packaged water, where narcotics are sold at beach-belt joints and road-side shops, where beauty and massage parlours are clandestinely used for flesh trade. Cleanse Goa of all of this, and the State could be a forgotten destination for even desi tourists, leave aside foreigners.
For those taking the high moral ground, the brand of tourism that Goa is selling is currently not a good picture. And for those who swear by Goa’s identity, this is something very shameful because this is not the State anyone perceived.
We need to be clear in our minds that our leaders have made a conscious choice, yet remained in denial. The tourism that Goa is selling is not by chance. Successive governments and leaders allowed rampant exploitation of tourism for vested interests. For now, Goa doesn’t have many options. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s instructions to traffic police not to harass desi tourists explain the underlying panic.
We boast of the State as an international tourism destination and a party place where narcotics are no secret. Yet, Goa has to rely on other states to test drug-related cases. And like the previous case of suspected drug death, the results could never see the light of the day.
A strong political will is needed to change the tourism scenario, which appears to be heading towards a point of no return. Working on a tourism turnaround should be top on the list of government’s New Year resolutions.
