The Goan: Why does this rift always exist between touroperators and taxi drivers, while you guys should have been working together?
Jorge Fernandes: Tour operators have crossed theirboundaries. From selling tickets to selling holiday packages, now they owntheir own buses and self-driven vehicles. The sole motive of the tour operatorsis to wipe clean all tourism profits, while they never think of the toilingtaxi-driver outside hotels. We have maintained our stand of one-taxi per family.We could have also ventured into other tourism businesses. Tour operators haverestaurants, hotels, buses and spice farms. This is not competition in thetourism sector but greed.
TG: But why does all this create a stand-off between taxiowners and the TTAG?
JF: TTAG is a body of travel and tourism only for the elite.Big restaurateurs and hotel owners besides the big money rolling tour operatorsare members of TTAG, but the body doesn’t take us taxi-owners, water-sportsoperators and middle and small guest house owners under its association. Whatkind of association is this that doesn’t recognise our efforts and livelihoodin the tourism sector?
TG: You have accused TTAG of shielding tour operators thatwork with foreigners on a tourist visa?
JF: Certain foreign individuals, especially Russians, cometo Goa, work with certain tour operators as a contact with charters arrivingfrom abroad. In the second, these same foreign nationals start their own travelcompany and usher foreign tourist on boat rides, spice farms, sightseeing andwalks to the beach. But these foreign nationals do all this while they are hereon a tourist visa. Even TTAG admitted to the Collector that such touts exist,who remit these profits abroad, and Goa loses out on this tourism revenue.
TG: Does the taxi association have a solution to thisproblem?
JF: We have told the tour operators to give use 120 USD ofthe total 600 USD they make from a charter tourist and we will provide alltransport facilities. If we are paid, we will further involve local businessesin the tourist sector. Currently tour operators try to make their own profits;they provide their own transport and guides for sightseeing. But these rates ofthe tour operators have brought about un-necessary inflation which needs to becurbed. We are all tourism stakeholders need to work together. Tour operatorsdon’t need to separately rent buses and coaches for sightseeing; they shouldopt for tourist taxis from the respective hotel counter.
TG: Why is the taxi federation always wary of competitionfrom the other players involved in tourism?
JF: It’s not about competition, it’s about road safety.Self-driven cars and bikes are taken on rent by tourist. In the name of loveand romance, these tourists will be sitting behind and teaching their wives todrive and ride. With stunts like these, everybody on the road is at risk. Whentaxis are used, the driver is alert to any untoward incident or suspiciousactivity. These self-driven vehicles are a means for drug pedalling andterrorism. Taxis are not meant to ferry passengers at night to night clubs whenthere is no other form of transport and be persecuted in the day, when touroperators function.
