The failure to convince the central government to relax the process of issuing tourist visas for visitors arriving from the UK to Goa in a bid to give Goa a much-needed tourism boost is going to be a sore point between tourism stakeholders and the State government.
Despite Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and Goa’s representative on the GST council Mauvin Godinho promising that they would “use their good offices” to convince the central government to make it easier for UK tourists, precious little has been done.
And this not including the fact that the Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik, ideally should have wielded considerable influence when it came to presenting the State’s case. Instead, despite claims of it being a “double-engine” sarkar in which both the state government and the central government will be on the same page, it appears that Goa’s interests are being conveniently ignored while not a single political leader even uttering a whimper of protest.
It must be remembered that it is now more than a year since the TTAG, the GCCI and other tourism industry bodies were asking that e-travel visas, which were suspended on account of the pandemic but were restored for most countries, be restored for the UK as well. In the absence of this, the industry has sought that if not e-visas or visas on arrival at least regular tourist visas should be expedited so that those who wish to travel will not have to wait for weeks to secure appointments and in the process end up cancelling their trips.
While it is entirely understandable that India seeks to reciprocate the UK’s similarly deterrent visa policies as a bilateral bargaining chip, in this case, it is not the UK who is losing out, but the allied businessmen and hoteliers who are dependent on these tourists. UK tourists can simply choose another destination to travel to like Sri Lanka which has now rolled out the red carpet and is allowing visas on arrival for tourists from the UK and the rest of Europe, similar to other destinations in South East Asia.
It is increasingly a lose-lose situation for India and Goa and none in the upper levels of decision-making seem to have realised it, which speaks much of a lack of foresight. It is of utmost importance that the State government leaders and others in a decision-making capacity raise their voices on behalf of the State and its tourism. We don’t find any merit in the grandiose tourism plans of projecting ourselves as the tourism capital and attracting quality tourism when there is nothing substantial done to woo international tourists.
We expect our government to take up for State’s interests in sectors like tourism where people’s livelihoods are dependent. Too often on a wide range of issues -- ranging from Mhadei to the double tracking the state government has abandoned the interests of people and instead promoted the interests of those to whom they are beholden. There’s no point in boasting of a double-engine sarkar if it only works to benefit Delhi and not Goa.
