by Nandkumar Kamat
THE main purpose of World Tourism Day (WTD) is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. This years WTD has a theme Travel and transport: from the imaginary of Jules Verne to the reality of the 21st century which is important for Goa because our state does not have any kind of passenger or tourist friendly transportation policy. tomorrow the state is celebrating the 26th WTD on a subdued scale.
The rising oil prices, the inclement global weather, the tarball pollution on the beaches and the controversies over hosting of IFFI and construction of the proposed international airport at Mopa could have dampened the spirit of the local tourism industry. The rave party season has already commenced and the coming season promises to be one of the most memorable for the global aficionados of the Goa trance music.
The law and order machinery is gearing itself to combat an exodus to Goa of the dance bar girls, a new class of urban female refugees, displaced inhumanly from Mumbais night life industry. It would be a nightmare for the government machinery if a few thousands of these young and charming refugees take shelter in Goa and are forced or lured to enter into sophisticated sex trade or contribute to enrich the unexciting local nightlife. With certain anxieties and uncertainties the local tourism industry may be looking ahead for a more prosperous tourism season. It could set up the right tone for this purpose by advocating the 26 th WTDs theme.
The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) is the largest and apex organization of $ 600 billion global tourism industry. The general assembly of the WTO in its third session held at Torremolinos, Spain, in September 1979, decided to institute September 27 as WTD commencing from 1980. Why September 27th?. This date was chosen to coincide with an important milestone in world tourism: the anniversary of the adoption of the WTO Statutes on 27 September 1970. This years theme is a tribute to the vision of famous French science fiction writer Jules Verne who died in 1905. Verne could not live to see the car and the aeroplane.
But the WTO decided to connect his death centenary to his fantastic literary flights of imagination by choosing this years theme in his honour. The message released by the secretary general of WTO says that Transport has always been the lifeblood of the travel industry and what better time to celebrate this vital relationship than in the year that marks the centenary of the death of one of the worlds great authors and travel visionariesTravel enables us to enrich our lives with new experiences, to enjoy and to be educated, to learn respect for foreign cultures, to establish friendships, and above all to contribute to international cooperation and peace throughout the world. Visitors from more than 30 countries visit Goa every year.
Domestic tourists may cross the figure of two million during the current season. All these valued visitors have the right to benefit from efficient, comfortable and enjoyable intra-state transportation system. As regimes continue to change the priorities also change drastically. Immediately after attaining statehood, Goa was dreaming of strengthening the traditional intermodular (inland waterways-jetties-ports-roads-railway-airport) goods and passenger transport system. But then some dream merchants arrived on the scene and began selling their exorbitant pet projects like skybuses and monorails.
With the number of registered private vehicles crossing half a million in our state by the end of last month, and the general habit of the people to avoid traveling at night in public transport, the techno-economic feasibility and affordability of such megaprojects is highly questionable. The government has no convincing answer for the persistent neglect of the inland waterways. If barges can annually transport more than 20 million MT of Iron ore safely, then why not introduce an efficient and modern mass transport system on our navigable waterways?
Old timers still remember the cute steamer launches which carried passengers and goods from jetties built on inland waterways of Mandovi-Zuari estuarine complex. The ayurveda practitioner and social reformer, Dada Vaidya had composed a memorable poem which had vividly captured the images of traveling experience in a canoe from Durbhat-Ponda to Panaji. Goas real strength lies in its navigational and maritime heritage.
Development of inland waterways is several times cheaper for a mass transportation system than an expensive skybus or a monorail project. But there are road transport lobbies which are vehemently opposed to develop inland waterways as passenger and tourist friendly highways on water. Thousands of tourists have to satisfy themselves with short river cruises and a few rides in ferryboats. A majority of them miss the rich inner beauty of Goas picturesque river valleys.
Two of the most neglected government departments which had once enjoyed prime administrative attention and importance are the office of the captain of ports and the river navigation department. How tourism can be developed by ignoring the role of these departments?. There is no time bound plan to regularly dredge and desilt the navigational channels and the mouths of the rivers. Old jetties are crumbling. Wharf side facilities are missing from the ferry-routes. Tourist friendly mini-jetties are needed at Talpona , Betul, Velim, Terekhol, Colvale, Chapora, Nadora, Mencurem, Sirsaim, Amonem, Corjuem, Narve, Akhado, Savoi Verem, Ganjem, Banastarim, Dongri, Kundaim, Agacaim, Lotulim, Shiroda, Sanvordem- to mention a few ideal locations close to well established or developing tourism circuits.
Having toured Goa extensively, I am fully convinced that the tourism industry of Goa would outsmart competitors if the old glory of our inland water transportation system is revived. This is an area which could be selectively opened for private investment. The government has to also consider a cable stayed steel bridge connecting Chicalim to Siridao headland via the Saint Jacinto island which would intersect the multilane Marmagoa-Verna bypass.
That would bring Panaji within half an hours traveling distance from Dabolim airport and the Marmagoa port. State tourism department needs to vigorously pursue with MPT, the erection of a special berth for luxury ocean liners anchoring at Marmagoa. The future of tourism industry in Goa would depend on the efficiency of our transport network. Even Jules Verne would have opted for the intermodular transportation network imaginatively. But the tourism sector seems to have run out of imaginative ideas. The tourism master plan is stagnating. Goa tourism promotion board is yet to be formed. Instead of wasting public energy in unproductive controversies like Mopa v/s Dabolim, on WTD it would be useful to think productively about an imaginative tourist friendly transportation policy for Goa.
- Forwarded by www.goa-world.com
This first of its kind Gulf-Goans e-newsletter is dedicated to Goans around the Globe. http://www.goa-world.com/ Team, moderated by Almeida Gaspar since 1994 & presented by Ulysses Menezes, owner of http://www.goa-world.com website.
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