PANAJI
Amid allegations of massive misuse of public funds, Minister for Tourism Rohan Khaunte on Monday informed the legislative assembly that the tourism industry needs to compete with various emerging international and domestic competitors.
Replying to demands for grants on Tourism, the minister stated that Goa Tourism contributes 33.42 per cent to Goa's GDP.
"We must recognize that a shift in thinking is taking place within the tourism sector. Prime Minister has initiated campaigns such as Dekho Apna Desh and Chalo India. In line with these, we too must evolve our tourism perspective,” he stated adding, “Places like Bali and Vietnam, etc are promoting their history, culture, and scenic beauty. Vietnam, in particular, has recently opened up for tourism. Within our country, many states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha are entering the tourism space, promoting their waterfalls, heritage sites, culture and traditions, etc. We are starting to rethink our approach. Goa has long been known for its beaches and nightlife, but there is much more potential here. We have rich culture, traditions, and festivities,” Khaunte added.
Responding to Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao’s claim that foreign footfalls dropped from nine lakh in 2019 to 1.9 lakh in 2023, Khaunte attributed this decline to bilateral issues with the UK and problems with Russia. "Today, we have surpassed 50 percent of the international figures compared to 2019. This year, Goa received 4.52 lakh international tourists and crossed 80 lakh domestic tourists," he added.
Khaunte also accused certain persons of being paid influencers whose aim is to tarnish Goa's reputation.
Earlier in the discussion, MLA Carlos Ferreira raised concerns about Rs 1.02 crore being spent from state funds on foreign trips for the minister's OSD with opposition legislators also alleging financial wastage on international promotions. BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral suggested promoting the upcoming exposition of St Francis Xavier as spiritual tourism. “Promote festivals and events much in advance to attract tourists,” Cabral added.
The department once again faced accusations over irregularities in the beach cleaning tender to which Khaunte stated that the fresh tender process is complete and a new agency is likely to come on board before the new season starts.
Regarding the delay in shack operations, he stated that the renewals of shacks have begun online as they expect the structures to be set up by October 1 to start their season’s business in time.
Notices issued
to operators
Replying to incidents of wires hanging on poles, the IT department has issued notices to operators under Goa Telecom policy. IT Minister Rohan Khaunte said if they don’t comply by September 30, they will start cutting the lines from October 1.
Printing Dept
to be shifted
The government plans to shift the Printing & Stationery Department from the current space. Minister Rohan Khaunte informed the assembly on Monday that the current place in the heart of the city is not capable of taking more things. “We have taken up with IDC to take up sick unit or a plot. We can also create a museum for the machines that were used pre-liberation, which are already with the department. We are also going for modernisation of present data,” he said.
