?Tourism infrastructure in Goa inadequate?

Even as a debate rages on whether Goa is really safe for tourists, the state government, which is trying hard to salvage its brand image of being an idyllic tourist spot after the gruesome rape and murder of 15-year old British tourist, Scarlette Keeling, has more questions to answer.

For, 241 tourist deaths due to drowning were reported in the beach state during 2001-05. As per the state tourism department?s assessment, 169 lifeguards were required. However, there were only 77 lifeguards as of July 2006, of which nine were regular and 68 were on contractual employment without sufficient training, according to a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for the year 2005-06.

During the period under review, a Congress government was heading the state.

Taking note of the abysmal state of tourism infrastructure, the CAG report observed a lack of supervision and inadequate equipment with the lifeguards. From August 10, 2006, after a mass strike by contract-based lifeguards who were demanding regularisation and other benefits, the services of all of them were terminated. Instead of appointing more lifeguards, the state tourism department staff was deployed on the beaches to carry out the task.

The CAG also pulled up the state government for its failure to set up a 24-hour tourist helpline till November 2006, equipped with internet etc, which had been recommended way back in 2001. Also, the government drew a blank when it came to setting up a system of ensuring registration of all tourism-related business activities. Under the provisions of the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982, the department is required to register each and every person or firm engaged in business related to tourism. However, audit enquiries showed that only operators who approached the department were being registered.

There was also a decline in foreign tourist arrivals in Goa by 20.92% over the projected figures till 2005, the report said. The projected figure in 2205 was 4.43 lakh where as the actual figure stood at 3.37 lakh. From 2201-2005, the projected figure for foreign tourists was 19.55 lakh, whereas the actual figure stood at 15.46 lakh. However, domestic tourist arrivals saw a rise by about 56.80% during this period over the projected figure.

Five years after the approval of the Tourism Master Plan 2011, the Goa govenment had not yet implemented its recommendations. This was despite suffcient budgetary provisions. The state government?s financial management was weak with regard to tourism promotion and infrastructure creation, the CAG report added. It called for a complete review of procedures for empanelment of tourism promotional agencies, enforcement and monitoring of administation regarding regsitration of tourism related trade activities and deployment of adequate number of lifeguards on all beaches with sufficient life-saving equiptment.

Unfortunately, it took Scarlette?s murder for the Goa government to sit up and take note of its growing underbelly, of drugs and crime flowing alongside it sun-kissed beaches. According to the state tourism department, a new beach safety plan is now being put in place, as per its director, Elvis Gomes, quoted in a national daily recently.