It took four years for the Goa Government and the consultant, KPMG, to prepare the Goa draft Tourism Policy. In 2016, when the Tourism Master Plan was prepared, it was criticised by the stakeholders during the public presentation in Panjim. Two years later, the government ignored the objections and released the final module called the Goa Tourism Policy. Unsurprisingly, the stakeholders are unhappy with the policy. Avinash Tavares takes a closer look at all the four modules and compares it with international standards of policy formulation and of sustainable tourism
Placing the Cart before the Horse – Masterplan before the Policy.
Since 2014, KPMG has been publishing parts of the policy without any statement of vision, mission and objectives. They first published a document on the Current and projected tourism scenario in Goa and understanding of key gaps. Then they listed the tourism concepts to attract tourists to Goa, in the second module. The third module, also called the Master Plan, lists the tourism products that can be offered in Goa along with the details of the programs, promotions and policies required.
Finally, the mission and vision statements were revealed in the fourth report titled “Goa Tourism Policy 2018”. This is akin to sailing the oceans for four years and then deciding the mission objections of the journey.
All around the world when formulating a policy, governments first come up with a vision and mission statements followed by the objectives which will help fulfil the vision and mission. Then the relevant data is collected based on which suggestions for the police are listed through public participation. The government then selects specific suggestions based on financial and technical feasibility and socio-economic and environmental impact.
In other words, the foundation and methodology followed during the policy formulation are flawed. But even if this is ignored, the policy itself is a let-down .
The vision of Goa Tourism
The proposed vision for Goa Tourism Policy is “Make Goa the most preferred destination around the year for high-spending tourists in India by 2023, and a world-class international tourism destination by 2030”. The problem with is vision statement is that it is focused on tourists and not the locals who are the primary stakeholders. Unless the government intends to create isolated tourist hubs where Goans will not be allowed, the vision of Goa tourism should draw a picture showcasing how tourism will benefit Goans.
To illustrate this point, take the example of the Vision of Kerala Tourism which states “Tourism becomes a vibrant and significant contributor to the sustainable development of the state of Kerala.”. This statement shows that tourism will help contribute to the development of the State and its people. Even those not involved in the tourism industry will understand the purpose of tourism in the State.
Marinas… How do we decide?
Casinos, Marinas, Eco-resorts, seaplanes and helicopter rides are just a few of the world-class tourism projects that have been met with stiff opposition in Goa. But all of these projects fit in the Vision proposed by KPMG. Therefore there is a disconnect between people's aspirations and the draft policy.
Goa needs a better vision statement that acts as an unambiguous filter for tourism projects. Probably the most inspiring vision statement is of Hawaii Tourism which states that “Sustainable tourism would honour Hawaii’s culture and history, protect our unique natural environment, engage the local community, support the economy and please our visitors.”. Do Casinos hubs fit in this vision? Surely not since it doesn’t honour the local culture and does not engage the local community.
In fact, both KPMG and Goa tourism adhere to this vision but in reverse. The draft tourism focuses primarily on pleasing the visitors, followed by the economic benefits and engaging local community. Protecting the unique natural and honouring the local culture and history is at the bottom of the policy’s priorities.
Who planned the tourism activities in various parts of Goa?
KPMG has already decided the Tourism products each part of Goa will sell. At a macro level, KPMG has divided Goa into 24 parts and planned a single tourism activity for each area. For example, Pednem is marked for ultra-luxury tourism, Coastal Bardez for nightlife, Mandovi and Zuari area for Entertainment, gaming and leisure cruise, Baina beach for adventure sports etc. Locals were not taken into confidence while planning these spatial areas.
KPMG appears to work with the assumption that Goa is a country or an island similar to Singapore and Ibiza where practically every tourism activity can be shoved in some corner of Goa or another without any understanding of the local challenges and aspirations.
They have listed 27 programs for Goa which fall in 5 categories, namely, Coastal tourism, Culture & Heritage, Nature-Based, Leisure and MICE (Events) & Weddings. Each of the programs is inspired by other Countries. For example, KPMG’s has taken inspiration from Spain for beach up-gradation, Borneo for fish markets, Ibiza for music venues, Singapore for beach clubs and luxury lifestyle resort etc.
Sustainability is the first Cornerstone Principle of the proposed tourism policy. However, none of the four modules offers any criteria to measure sustainability. For example, there is no mention of the maximum carrying capacity of the coastal areas or the entire State beyond which tourism is sustainable.
Does Goa thus have infinite sustainable tourism potential? No. We are a power deficit state and as the consumption increases, so does the cost of the power. State of the art sewerage plants such as Tonca and Margao, let alone the hotels along the river banks, are releasing untreated sewerage into the rivers. Goa has unable to stop people from throwing garbage along the streets and on the beach
KPMG shied away from highlighting these issues and offering concrete mitigation measures. While eco-tourism in other countries encourage water-less compost toilets, KPMG’s only solution to the sewage problem is the construction of sewage infrastructure.
There are many positive suggestions under the section of Culture and Heritage tourism such as converting old houses to hotels, organising heritage events and village walks. But in the draft policy, KPMG treats local culture like commodities with religious traditions, local customs and festivals being reduced to specific areas and events which will be expected to conform to tourist expectations. This is what has been called "reconstructed ethnicity".
For example, policy proposes that certain villages will be designated and development as “tourism villages”. Nothing else is mentioned about this concept but without the involvement of the local bodies, the question arises is will such a project be accepted?
Commercial Strategy for tourism in eco-sensitive areas
According to the draft policy, Eco-beach resorts offer tourists the opportunity for an interactive experience (turtle nesting, bird watching, trekking, etc.) while preserving fragile neighbouring zones and involving the local communities on the coast and also in the nearby hinterland to showcase both culture and nature, as eco-beach tourists are also interested in other local experiences.
While this may sound good, on the next page KPMG showed an illustration of and eco-beach resort concept in Module 3 which shows conference facilities, hotel suites, beach club, spas and swimming pools, all within 200 meters of the shoreline.
Similarly, under Nautical tourism, KPMG has proposed several starting with one at Chapora bay without considering the impact on the local fishing activities and the locals living along the river. The marina will require dredging which can lead to erosion and thus pose a risk to the adjoining beach. However, KPMG has not listed any risks or cost-benefit analysis whole proposing these marinas.
Metrics of Sustainability
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an independent global Accreditation Body, formulated a set of criteria an effort to reach a common understanding of sustainable destinations. The GSTC Criteria are the minimum undertakings that any tourism management organization should aspire to when considering sustainability in their practices.
The draft policy fails to address several areas listed in the GSTC on many fronts such as Visitor satisfaction measuring mechanisms, monitoring and public reporting of environmental, economic, social, cultural, tourism, and human rights issues, Climate change adaptation, renewable energy, regulating waste, tourism crises management measures, prevention of prostitution drugs use etc.
One of the recommendations of the GSTC is setting up of a Destination Management Organisation, an organization which has responsibility for a coordinated approach to the management of sustainable tourism. The draft tourism policy (Module 4) provides for the setting up of the Goa Tourism Board.
The composition of the Board does not inspire any confidence. The Board has all the representatives who have shaped the Tourism sector in Goa so far and sustainability has barely reflected in the proposals they presented.
Unfortunately there Board has no place for a representative of the local bodies, environment experts and urban planner, even though the Board will be planning and executing infrastructure works and projects that will impact locals, the environment and change the urban dynamics of the area.
World Class Tourism Policy?
The policy attempts to hide crucial details of its proposal behind buzzwords such as “world class”. The issue is that the definition of world class changes from one country to another and even from one year to another. Spain is a world-class tourism destination but tourism has dropped by 5% last year and, along with other European destinations, is facing stiff opposition and resentment from locals who are feed up of tourists arriving in the country.
The locals of these countries are angry at rising housing costs, overcrowded streets and the low paying jobs available to them in the tourism sector. They have a sense that the tourist boom benefits some more than others.
The fact is that due to a lack of professional training, many low-paid tourism-jobs go to local people while higher-paying and more prestigious managerial jobs go to foreigners or "urbanized" nationals.
KPMG has drawn inspiration from world-class countries and cities that have very little in common with a tiny State of Goa which suffers from issues such scare resources, unaffordable real estate prices, high cost of living, poor law enforcement, slums, drugs, prostitution and stagnation in hotel prices. These issues haven’t been addressed either by the government nor KPMG.
The draft tourism policy is a mishmash of several dozen ideas that are untested when implemented together in a State as unique as Goa. Critics say that it will make Goa unaffordable and even trigger exodus where people will sell their land and shift to other countries. Those who stay back will be squeezed into cramped urban spaces.
The Government also has to conduct the though carrying capacity study to determine the maximum carrying capacity of our beaches and hinterlands. The government also has to conduct a socio-economic and environmental impact study on the proposals presented in their policy document.
The Tourism Policy will only be successful if it is discussed and deliberated at the Gram Sabhas where Each village has to decide which of the programs that are listed is best suited for their village. If any village does not want tourism activities in their village, their choice must be respected. All infrastructure plans suggested in the policy or by the GTB has to involve the Village Development Committee and the Biodiversity Committee of the affected villages. Further, the High Tide Line under the CRZ notification along with the No Development Zone area and Hazard line has to be demarcated.
It’s unclear why the government had left the stakeholders out while preparing the draft tourism policy for the last four years. If they do not work with the local bodies and environmental experts, the policy will receive the same treatment received by the Investment Promotion policy (IPB).
https://www.heraldgoa.in/Review/Some-things-never-change/138698.html
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