Ritnika Bhatia and her husband Avinash were a little distressed on their holiday to Goa recently. Their children, seven year old Vedang and four year old Avantika, didn’t have much to do throughout the day, other than play in the pool or play with their toys that were brought along. “We wanted to have a family holiday and thought Goa would be the perfect place for this. It is, but there is not much here for children to do.” The Bhatias are not alone. Many families who come down to Goa lament the lack of entertainment venues for children.
For family or to party?
Goa has a lot for the average tourist. For the backpackers there are shacks and little restaurants with musicians to jam with galore. For the upmarket tourist there are good restaurants and bistro-pubs or lounge bars. There’s something for everyone in Goa, from adventure sports to resorts in green locales. But, for children there’s next to naught.
For the young ones above the age of 12 or thereabouts, Goa has two go-karting tracks. For teenagers, there are paintball arenas. Then there is a movie theatre and a game arcade at the mall, but nothing new to visitors from the bigger cities where this and more exists. For those below 12 years of age, there’s nothing really, apart from a pool, or if you’re lucky, the hotel you’re staying in will have a small section for children. Goa has water parks too. But that’s about it. For how long will all this last?
Avinash Bhatia says they tried to take trips out to places that would interest the children. “We went to the spice farm near Ponda, and to the fort in Reis Magos, but the attention span of children doesn’t last that long. There’s only so much history or interesting plants to keep them captivated.”
Fransisco Braganca, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, states "The only entertainment the children have is within the hotels. Swimming pools, games rooms and play areas in the hotels are the only facilities available for young kids. We need world standard amusement or entertainment parks which are capital intensive with low returns and an investor will not invest unless cheap land is available and the government supports this with tax exemptions, etc. Industry alone cannot raise investment for entertainment for children."
Goa has been touted as a holiday destination, but never as one for families really. For that to happen, the state would need to get in better facilities for children. Stakeholders too need to start thinking differently. Right now, if you want to ‘party on till the early morn’ or to just relax on the beach, you come to Goa. What do you do when you want to bring the kids along?
Something for everyone
With airlines working on better connectivity and the arrival of Air Asia into India (and direct to Goa now too), destinations like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and more, are much closer than before. Dubai too is pushing the boundaries when it comes to tourism. Hotels in South East Asia are a bit cheaper than those in Goa, and even flights are getting more affordable. Where does Goa stand in comparison to them, when it comes to facilities and venues for children?
“Goa doesn’t stand anywhere really. If you think families who come here on holiday are confused as to what to do. Imagine those living here. What we do on a Sunday or during long holidays, like Diwali, Christmas or during the summer?” asks Mervyn Souza, an architect from Porvorim. It’s a little easier now for the Souza family, since the children are now older, 13 and 11 years old. Now, technology is a good companion, but even then Mervyn and his wife Stella want to take them out and do something. “We take them to South East Asia and to Mumbai and Bangalore for holidays. There are things to see. Back in Goa, we’re lucky to have a pool and a Playstation set, but we do need something that they can do from time to time,” says Mervyn, who takes his family out every year to a destination nearby, just so the kids can do something different.
Thailand is a popular destination. There you can go to Marine Park and Safari World, spend the day feeding the birds and the giraffes or watching dolphins and seals. In Singapore, although an expensive destination compared to Goa or any other place in Thailand, you can visit Universal Studios and the massive entertainment and leisure zone that is Sentosa. In Dubai, there are malls galore with various kinds of entertainment facilities, as well as Ski Dubai, where one can play with penguins and attempt to ski on snow. All these tourist destinations have realized that family tourism is good business. Goa has yet to figure that out.
The family advantage
“If Goa keeps on pushing itself as a family destination, then a lot of other problems will be taken care of,” says Ralph De Souza, of the De Souza group. According to Ralph, the industry had a lot of ideas, but licensing and other processes put a dampener in things. “Now with the investment promotion board, there will be a change. Of course, the lack of a working regional plan is another obstacle,” he says.
Goa has been dealing with a lot of negative publicity. The drugs and drug related deaths don’t help. The image of a place where anything goes as long as you can afford it isn’t really what Goa wishes to project. So, what will an image of a family destination do? “It will get rid of the all-men groups and other people who come here for the wrong reasons, for starters. But, to bring the families in, we have to create facilities for families,” says Ralph, who points out to an idea that came about, to turn Mayem Lake into a family destination. “Perhaps the government should concentrate on that. The GTDC owns the property and all they have to do is get a private contractor to work on this idea and put in the funds as a joint venture. You can have restaurants and accommodation, as well as things to do on the lake. It’s a brilliant idea, as was the one to turn Miramar Residency into an oceanarium. Goa is a coastal state and an oceanarium fits into its ethos and culture,” Ralph states.The oceanarium project was put on the back burner for a bit.
Minister for Tourism, Nilesh Cabral says that Goa is moving towards becoming a destination for families. "We have amphibian boats and hot air balloons which are aimed at families. We also have the Mayem lake project and now the oceanarium which will be built at Benaulim instead of Miramar. I'm not saying that all this will happen overnight but there is a plan in place," he says.
With a working regional plan and easier routes to apply for licenses, the industry too will look to cash in on a family destination image that Goa can have. It works well for everyone. The debauchery will get reduced and the idea of a family destination will appeal to the new age families who have the disposable income and the children who can be entertained.
The industry agrees. The parents in Goa and those who visit here lament the fact that Goa is not a child friendly state. Can this change? Yes. It will take a lot of hard work, smart solutions and creative marketing to hammer the point in to families across the country and world. There is still hope.
