MINISTER-SPEAK------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Right now, there is no designated place for people to urinate on the beaches. This needs to be developed
>> We don't want tourists who come here and break bottles, get involved in the drug trade, and cook in the open
>> Our culture and goemkarponn should be maintained. Tourism shouldn't be at the cost of our culture
>> The governor has taken a big step in the direction of attracting tourists who value our culture
PANAJI: Stating the need for development on Goa's coasts in order to improve Goa's value as a tourist destination, Tourism Minister Babu Ajgaonkar on Friday said that soon, each and every beach of Goa would have a toilet, as well as a changing room and locker room. Once this was in place, he said he had no doubt that Goa would become the number one tourist destination in the country. >> With a Rs 30 crore sanction from the central government, the GTDC is planning to develop the complex in style, and provide a visual bonanza for tourists
"Right now, there is no designated place for people to urinate on the beaches," he said. "This needs to be developed." Ajgaonkar was speaking at the inauguration of the Raj Bhavan tours.
Ajgaonkar further stressed on the importance of attracting quality tourists to the state. "We don't want tourists who come here and break bottles, get involved in the drug trade, and cook in the open," he said, adding that tourists who appreciate and value Goa's culture and traditions were welcome.
"Our culture and goykarponn should be maintained. Tourism shouldn't be at the cost of our culture," said the legislator, while praising the governor for throwing open the gates of the Raj Bhavan to the public, despite having security constraints. He joked that he had to become an MLA in order to be able to see the governor's palace. "The governor has taken a big step in the direction of attracting tourists who value our culture," he said.
The tourism minister further asked all stakeholders, including MLAs to give inputs towards making a good tourism policy. "We welcome suggestions from all quarters," he said.
Ajgaonkars call for an improvement in the type of tourists Goa gets comes two days after Calangute MLA Michael Lobo called the quality of Goa's tourists "cheap." Lobo had given a desperate call to improve the quality of tourists in the state, saying that Goa didn't need the type of tourists that broke bottles on beaches, and urinated openly.
