Tom Koshy, a promo producer for the History Channel took abreak from work and the buzz of the metros to come down to Goa and rejuvenateon the Sernabatim beach. For him, the break was not just to bust stress butalso to have some peace of mind and replenish his creative juices. Sadly, after a swim on a beach neither couldhe wash off at a shower nearby, but the sight of some tourists littering andurinating on the beach made him sick. This was not the rest and rejuvenationholiday that he had in mind. “Tourists come to Goa to experience the sun andthe pristine beaches, clean ones at the least,” stated an exasperated Tom. Clearly,while nature draws tourists to Goa, mankind has done much more to drive themaway.
The lack of facilities on the 50 odd beaches in Goa leave alot to be desired. Visit any of Goa’s beaches and the visage is the same. Mostof them are dotted with shacks and beach beds, which draw a lot of tourists,but have no facilities for garbage management, changing and shower rooms andadequate toilets either. That’s just thebeaches. To get to many a smaller beach, apart from the big names like Colva orCalangute, one has to maneuver through narrow roads with no proper directions.Once you do get to the beach, there is no proper place to park your car orbike.
“We have visited many Asian countries and we found thattheir governments place a lot of importance on tourism related infrastructurefacilities, especially on their beaches,” state regular visitors ThomasSchreites and Linda Pereira Vaz from Germany, who are staying in Velsao.However, they feel that the situation has gotten worse since they came here forthe first time nine years ago. Jui Dighe, who is holidaying at Colva concurs,saying, “The need of the hour is water dispensers and coolers so that peoplewon’t end up buying mineral water and then littering the beach. Changing roomsand showers rooms are needed too. I dislike taking my salt and sweat back tothe hotel.”
Many foreign nationals are of the opinion that Goa couldsoon lose its credentials, as a popular tourism destination, if the stategovernment fails to take steps to provide basic facilities to tourists. “I’vebeen coming to Goa for the past eight years because it’s an affordabledestination. But, the beaches are very dirty. People keep throwing garbageanywhere they want,” says Doncaster resident Karen Halliwell, who spends mostof his time on Candolim beach.
A joint interim report prepared by the consultant MsInfrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited and InfrastructureDevelopment Corporation (IL&FSIDC) who appointed by the ministry oftourism Government of India, was submitted to the government in April 2012. Thereport points out to the infrastructure gaps on various Goan beaches, with aspecial emphasis on the Candolim-Calangute-Baga stretch. (See box)
Goa stands to lose its credentials as a tourism hotspot ifthe basic infrastructure that a tourism destination needs is missing or notmaintained. While Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Chairman, NileshCabral stated that measures will be taken by the government to providefacilities on the beaches by the end of their term, what remains to be seen iswhether Goa can wait another four years for better beach infrastructure.
