'Hardly 13-14% of high-end tourist's expenditure remains in Goa' (ToI)

Anisha Francis, TNN | Jun 30, 2014, 12.40AM IST

PANAJI: The government cannot hope to boost Goa's economy by running after 'high-end tourists' and 'big spenders', while discouraging visitors from rural, low-income groups, says Ranjan Solomon, consultant for the Centre for Responsible Tourism in Panaji. Putting a socialist twist on the tourism industry's agenda to re-package Goa as a luxury destination, Solomon claims there is little benefit to the local community from the arrival of the moneyed, luxury-resort loving, fine-dining tourist.

"The working class is also entitled to a vacation; the charter tourists consist of workers like carpenters and welders who save hard-earned money for their annual holiday. These people are more likely to shop at the local markets, drink tea at the small chai shops and engage local taxis. On the other hand, we have also calculated that hardly 13 to 14% of the expenditure of a high-end foreign tourist remains in Goa," claims Solomon, who has published his findings in a research book titled 'The Challenge and Prospects of Tourism in Goa Today'.

"The essence of tourism is an encounter between different cultures, but these big spenders are generally disconnected from local contact. They check into their five-star resorts, where they are showered with a commodified, pre-packaged version of Goa in terms of local cuisine, a traditional song and dance performance, and a lie on the resort's cordoned-off 'private beach'. They return home, happy with this virtual experience of Goa, which is a really cockeyed view of the world," he opines.
One thing that the government could do to help boost local businesses is to cut out the sale of 'all-inclusive' packages, wherein charter tourists pay international agents in advance for all meals, sight-seeing trips, transport, etc," he suggests. "To ensure that the profits from these tourists trickle down to the Goan community, tourists should be required to buy these packages or services in Goa, and government agencies like GTDC should ensure a smooth and efficient system to enable them to do so," suggests Solmon.

A human rights activist, Solomon also decries the industry's bigoted treatment of domestic tourists. "We should be able to tell the 'sex tourist' apart from the regular 'enthusiastic desi tourist'. Most domestic tourists who come here are harmless-yes, they may like to run around the beaches in their innerwear, drink a bit too much, and go little nuts, but they also engage the local community more than anyone else. It is the male tourist who comes to Goa hoping for a sexual encounter-misled by typical sleazy Goa photographs of half-naked white women lying on our beaches-who make life difficult for tourists and locals alike," he says.

The Centre for Responsible Tourism, a wing of Caritas-Goa, is in the process of creating a number of alternative tourism projects to encourage hinterland and agriculture tourism. "This aspect of tourism needs to be researched and executed carefully, as it is very easy for rural ventures like homestays to turn exploitative. We will raise the red flags to the government and ensure that we build a sustainable model," he adds.

Official Speak

"If Goa is to retain it's status as a world-class tourism destination, we need a full-time airport. Last year, our tourist arrivals grew by over 12% and this year, we are expecting to record a growth of 18%. The time restrictions on the civilian enclave of our naval airport are already creating problems, and now that there is some runway work scheduled this year, tourism will be affected in a big way. The department will appeal to the Centre to solve this issue and expedite Goa's new airport project."

-- Dilip Parulekar, minister for tourism

"We welcome tourists of all categories and classes, and are not looking to be restrictive in approach. The ultimate aim is to attract people who will spend their money in the local economy to create jobs and generate revenue for the people here. To achieve this the government will have to provide certain facilities and by setting up top-quality shopping arenas, fine-dining restaurants, theme parks, convention centers and the like, we are merely trying to furnish a larger interface for our customers, and broaden the window of opportunity for tourists with high-spending power to visit and contribute to the state's economy."

-- Nikhil Desai, Managing Director, GTDC
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Hardly-13-14-of-high-end-tourists-expenditure-remains-in-Goa/articleshow/37483859.cms