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AIR TURBULENCE
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HOTELIERS' FEARS
* Adverse impact on the tourism business down south
* Distance between Mopa airport and South Goa will increase
* Tourists will resist further travel of 3-4 hours by road
* Livelihood of Goans and destruction of investments in Goa
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HAS OPPOSITION TO
MOPA NOSEDIVED?
>> See pg 6
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At Taleigao, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Chief Minister Laxmikant descended at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium on Saturday to review the arrangements to lay a red carpet welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday ahead of the laying of the foundation stone for the proposed airport at Mopa.
At Betalbatim, around 30-kms from the capital city, one came across an activity of a different nature, but closely connected with the proposed airport at Mopa. Tourism stake holders from down South descended at the Alila Diwa resort to join in a signature campaign, to sign on a memorandum to be submitted to the Prime Minister with a plea to do a re-think on the new airport at Mopa.
That’s not all. A delegation of the stake holders also plan to call on the Prime Minister during his visit to Goa on Sunday, having sought an appointment with the Prime Minister’s Office for an audience with Modi and convince him to retain Dabolim as Goa’s lone international airport.
'The Goan' understands that the top guys in the hotel and resort business in South Goa, including Sunder Advani, Varun Albuquerque and the Suris owning the Intercontinental Hotels at Canacona have all come together to petition the government on the new airport, fearing an adverse impact on the tourism business down south.
Says Varun Albuquerque: “Airport at Mopa will have a severe detrimental effect on tourism and other related business in central and south Goa. The proposed airport is around 80 kms north from Dabolim whereas most of the luxury five star hotels are located in South Goa. The distance between the proposed airport and South Goa will increase by 60-125 kms. A high paying tourist after reaching Goa after 3-6 hours of air travel would resist a further travel of 3-4 hours by road to reach south Goa. This would result in lack of tourist interest in South Goa and considerable decline in tourism.”
Other stake holders felt that the hotel/resorts, tour operators, water sports, taxi drivers, local artisans, craftsmen, restaurants, shop owners etc directly associated with tourism will get severely affected. The livelihood of local manufacturers and vendors, and people employed with them, farmers, fishermen and others indirectly dependent on tourism will be at stake.
“On the basis of the Dabolim airport, the business houses had incurred substantial capital expenditure in South Goa to promote the tourism industry which provides employment to the local population. They have a legitimate expectation that the state of Goa would not change the location of the airport without cogent reasons”, remarked a hotelier.
The stakeholders further pointed out that there is no specific plan to address the adverse economic impact that the hotels, restaurants and commercial establishments in Goa would have to suffer as a result of the new airport at Mopa. “By attempting to shift the airport to Mopa, the state is destroying the livelihood of the Goan residents and destroying investments in Goa,” they pointed out.
Small hotelier, Serafino Cota, who had submitted a memorandum to then Chief Goa Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar on July 5 in 2002, said the Mopa airport will spell doom for hoteliers and other tourism stake holders in down South. “Salcete’s coastal belt is the hub for five star hotels and other resorts, catering to the charter tourists. How can you expect these hotels and resorts in South Goa to do business when charter tourist rules mandates that the guests should be moved in a hotel within 40 minutes of landing at an airport. Mopa airport will only cater to the hotels located in North Goa. This will be a reality,” Cota said.
The stake holders pointed out there is not enough traffic forecasted to make one airport at Goa viable.
“The developers have to recover their investment in the new airport and there would be pressure from them. The airlines will have to make a choice between Mopa and Dabolim as they cannot stop at both airports within a distance of 80 kms,” they said, fearing that the airlines will choose Mopa over Dabolim as the new airport would have modern facilities.
