The Hindu Business Line : ‘Goa is an international brand’

At a time when the State’s tourism is facing pressure under the rigours of industrial recession and spiralling inflation, Goa’s Minister for Tourism Francisco Xavier Pacheco has a plan to retain Goa’s position as a long-haul winter destination. Excerpts from an interview:

The tourism industry is currently under stress and international arrivals down by 20 per cent. What is your take on this situation?

Tourist arrivals are down a bit, and I am concerned but we don’t have to panic. The drop is mainly on account of inflation, a global phenomenon and not just confined to Goa or India. Also Goa might have the ‘wrong tag’ of expensive destination. I have reduced the rates of the government-owned hotels by 20 per cent during the season, have been meeting industry and urging them to reduce their prices a bit and they are cooperating.

How have you been positioning Goa internationally? Will there be any special efforts this year?

Frankly, Goa does not need any special introduction in the world tourism market. Wherever we have been going to promote, in any remote corner of the world, people already know about Goa. Let us put it this way… Goa is already an international brand, what we have been doing is promoting Goa in the right perspective. We have been creating awareness about the uniqueness of this place and its people. Efforts are on to attract more and more tourists. For instance, a team has just returned from South Africa after conducting roadshows in Durban, Cape Town, etc. The response has been overwhelming and it will surely benefit the State as well as the country.

Have the safety and security aspects, in view of the terrorist threats in the country, affected Goa’s tourism?

No, I don’t think so. The Ministry has been working very closely with the Home Ministry to make sure that Goa continues to be one of the safest places in the world. Our law and order force is competent enough to ensure and assure each and every tourist and also the locals that we would not leave anything to chance when it comes to their safety and security.

Are you happy with tourism infrastructure in Goa? What are your plans and how would you fund them?

I do think that the tourism infrastructure in Goa needs upgradation. An “integrated beach safety management scheme”, which is one of its kind in India, has been put in place. This scheme takes care of the rescue operations on beaches, security, first aid, 24-hour surveillance, changing rooms, freshwater showers, cleanliness, garbage collection, toilets, etc. I have been working on a plan to get new hotels on a private-public-partnership model to provide quality and cheaper accommodation for tourists. I am in the process of developing world-class facilities on some of the beaches. All these would be funded through State and Central government funds.

Is Goa saturated in terms of bed capacity?Are you welcoming more hotels or resorts?

We require more beds, hotels and resorts because during the peak season we are completely sold out and tourists are stranded. But, our infrastructure needs to be upgraded first.

Has the death of British teenager Scarlett Keeling affected the city’s image?

To a certain extent; but we’ve proved that the law catches the dubious policemen and criminals.

The world has seen how toughly we acted, and despite the initial goofup, the message has gone loud and clear that we will not tolerate nonsense.

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