Karan Sehgal
It has been a long time that the much talked about ‘Tourism Master Plan’ has been in the making. Despite Goa facing several problems as a tourism destination and also facing stiff competition from other destinations like Kerala, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, Egypt and Turkey, the State Government has so far not implemented the master plan.
The challenges faced by Goa as a destination are enormous and this season in particular has been really tough because the number of tourists has been much lower than expectations. The tourism industry is eagerly waiting for the master plan to be implemented so that the state has clear policy direction.
Francisco de Braganca, past president, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), said, “In the light of increased tourist inflow into Goa, there is a need to provide infrastructure to cater to the increased demand. However, there is haphazard growth in the absence of the Tourism Master Plan, which needs to be incorporated in the Regional Plan. The Master Plan, if adhered to, can provide a direction to the growth of tourism.”
Goa has a lot to offer to the tourists apart from the beaches like wildlife, water sports, hinterland tourism, heritage tourism, music, food and a very vibrant culture. In the absence of a unified policy marketing all these aspects, various stakeholders have done whatever they wanted to do without thinking how their actions come together to improve Goa as a destination.
Moreover, there is an onslaught of low quality domestic tourists, which has resulted in unregulated growth in beach areas like Calangute. The industry thinks that such issues could be tackled if the State implements Tourism Master Plan.
Savio Messias, president, TTAG, said, “There is so much haphazard growth in the beach areas, which wouldn’t have happened if master plan was implemented. If the government comes out with a proper plan, the responsibility of marketing Goa as a tourism destination will be of Tourism Board, which will have representation from the tourism industry.”
Jack Sukhija, member, TTAG, said, “Basically, as a state, we don’t have a clear policy or a direction when it comes to tourism. Over the years, tourism has grown and now it is a big industry and we definitely need a Tourism Master Plan. We have to know the carrying capacity of the state as a destination, we need to have a strategy for targeting the kind of domestic and international tourists we want, we have to analyze which kind of products we will offer to those tourists and for all these things, we need a master plan.”
However, it is extremely important that the master plan is implemented in the right manner. Otherwise, it will not help Goa in dealing with all the tourism related issues it is facing now. Experts also feel that Tourism Master Plan should be in line with other important laws and regulations in the state.
Ralph de Sousa, chairman, de Souza Group, said, “The Tourism Master Plan will only help if there are no grey areas in it and it is in black and white. Then, we have to ensure that the Tourism Master Plan is in concurrence with the Regional Plan. If one says one thing and the other says another thing, how will we ever implement the master plan?”
“It also has to be ensured that all other authorities and government departments should not deviate from the spirit of the Tourism Master Plan. After the notification of the Tourism Master Plan, all the other authorities like Town and Country Planning Department, Department of Tourism, Village Panchayats have to be told that if they need to make some changes for the successful implementation of the Tourism Master Plan, they should do so,” de Sousa continued.
This shows that the implementation of master plan will only be the first step to address tourism issues. For it to be successful, it will be necessary that all other acts are also in sync with it.
The stakeholders also think that creation of a Tourism Board will be important for implementation of the master plan.
Braganca said, “The Tourism Board should have equal representation from both the government and all stakeholders so that there is balance and independence for effective implementation of the recommendations of the master plan.”
“There is a need to have a budgetary provision so that the board can independently implement the recommendations contained in the master plan without having to approach the government to dole out funds for works planned under the master plan,” Braganca added.
It’s clear that the State needs a master plan and a Tourism Board to implement it. But, both these steps have to be taken in such a manner that the right spirit behind master plan remains.
How should the Tourism Master Plan be implemented?
Experts said that Tourism Master Plan should be a very clear and unambiguous document. It should clearly define the roles and responsibilities of Tourism Board
The Tourism Master Plan should also be in sync with the Regional Plan. Else there will be chaos and neither the people nor the authorities will have any clarity
Amendments needed in other acts like TCP Act for successful implementation of Tourism Master Plan should be made once the plan is notified
Tourism Board should have representation from the tourism industry and also from the government
There should be separate budgetary provision for Tourism Board so that it can independently implement the recommendations contained in the master plan
