MARGAO
The Small and Medium Hoteliers Association of Goa on Friday disputed the claim made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant pegging the hotel occupancy rate to 80 percent, saying random inquiries by the association have shown that the occupancy may be hovering around four per cent.
The association has further demanded that the government immediately place the new tourism policy in public domain and invite public suggestions to fine-tune it.
Addressing the media, association president Serafino Cota informed that either the Chief Minister has been ill-informed about the hotel occupancy rate or he must have made the claim with the intention to give a rosy and comfortable picture of the state in times of Covid. “Members of the association last night conducted a random survey and found the hotel occupancy at around 3.7 percent to 4 percent. We do not know how the Chief Minister has come out with the figure. Either someone is misguiding the Chief Minister or he wants to give a rosy picture about Goa,” Serafino asserted.
Saying the months of April and October are termed as the weak shoulders of tourism, Serafino dished out statistics to claim that room occupancy in the last four years had never crossed the 36.1 percent mark.
He said the Chief Minister must have been misguided by someone or he must have seen the floodgates at the border. He, however, demanded to know whether the government would benefit by way of taxation even if tourists have crossed over to the state and stayed in the gated communities.
On the tourism policy unveiled by the government, Serafino said the association is neither supporting nor opposing it for the reason that it has not been placed in public domain to date.
He, however, demanded to know whether the policy has been finalized keeping in mind sustainable and responsible tourism in the state.
While supporting eco-tourism, Serafino, however, said the government should promote it in the right spirit keeping in mind the heritage and traditions of Goa and not just to open the hinterland to the big corporates.
The association president lamented that the government has to date not constitute the Tourism Tribunal to resolve issues within 48 hours for the benefit of the people, the customers as well as the hoteliers.
And, he lamented that the Tourism Board constituted by the government has many bureaucrats, wondering whether it would do justice to the stakeholders. “The government should give representation to every stakeholder on the Board, including the small and medium hoteliers, shack owners, tour operators, shack owners etc. There’s no harm in expanding the Board membership, but representation should be given to all. Otherwise, it will give the impression that the government has already hijacked the Board,” he added.
