GL responds: In the last three months, I made two holiday trips to Europe - Bergen, Norway and Dublin, Ireland. Both these cities and countries and other tourist destinations across the world are proud of their tourist attractions and would love to have more tourists. Tourism is easily one of the biggest consumer-based economies in the world providing employment to a big segment of skilled and unskilled natives. So I often wonder: how come our otherwise smart Goans who can advice the rest of the world what to do and how to do it, cannot manage their own tourism, as seen from the posts below.
I think I have the answer: Tourists where ever they go leave behind trash from their free-wheeling consumer lifestyle. Yet they also spend a lot into the local economy for the locals to clean up their trash and provide adequate services to the tourists. Yet, this also creates jobs for locals from restaurant to travel, etc etc. For the tourists system to work, the tourist-dollars has to be reinvested in tourism. And the people providing the services should upgrade their services and that in itself is good for and generates jobs for the local population. My gut feeling, in Goa the tourist-dollars are not re-invested in tourism. Rather the revenue is siphoned off to everything else; leading to the tourist facilities and services to decline to dangerously poor standards. Perhaps this is the stage we are likely seeing in Goa. So Goans and the politicians they elect should wake up. The problems with Goan tourism are in your hands. Stop complaining. The bangarachem Goem is in your front-yard and back-yard. Give your homes a coat of paint and decorate its walls and floors. And perhaps run for local elections. Yes it will take time-off from Goanet or writing newspaper editorials or letters-to-the editor. But it may be worth the change …. for your children and grandchildren. Regards, GL ----------------- From: Vivian A. DSouza Tourism's underbelly has been prostitution, gambling, noise pollution, and the menace of drug sales and consumption. In North Goa the beach belt is chock-a-block with all kinds of hotels which have taken over local habitations, consuming immense electric power and water, for which they probably get a priority, and adding to the underground sewage load and the amount of garbage that needs to be processed. What we have now is the classic case of "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" I suspect that very little of the ownership in the tourist hotels remains in Goan hands. The same too with employment in the tourist trade. The government probably gets revenue from the taxes it levies on hotels for accommodation, restaurant sales, and alcohol consumption.? But even this has its limit. The high taxes eventually make the prospect of holidaying in Goa un-economical, with tourists having a lot of alternative scenic, more economical and cleaner venues available around the Globe. Goa has out-worn its welcome. The impact of tourism has been increased traffic, increase in the cost of our daily staples.? The best fish is either exported or sold to the hotels, with we locals having to survive on the assorted small fish called "kormot" to add to our curry pot. Eventually, with over fishing our neighboring seas will be bereft of fish. Our age-old water wells are beginning to run dry and we have to run after water tankers to obtain our basic water supply. THIS is the impact of tourism on Goa and Goans. This is the Goa of today! ---------------From: Roland Francis Dear Vivian, 25 years or more ago, given the very low standards of governance in Goa, the corruption prevalent everywhere and the reluctance of ordinary Goans to fight for what affected him, it was only a matter of time before Lambert Mascarenhas famous book title created for another context became relevant for this one: Sorrowing Lies My Land.
