Goa’s tourism industry stakeholders have requested Goa Chief Minister laxmikant Parsekar to curb foreign junkets organised by the State tourism ministry, while conceding that tourism in the state has taken a hit on account of the recession in the Russian and European economies.
In a pre-budget memorandum submitted to Parsekar, the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), a collective of top stakeholders from the tourism and travel industry have also said that for an average tourist in India, travelling to South East Asian countries was cheaper than travelling to Goa.
“The Tourism Industry is struggling to keep its head above the water, with rising costs and reducing revenues, on account of the collapse of the Russian market and disturbed European economies. This situation is expected to continue for the ensuing season as well. The margins are squeezed and the future looks bleak,” TTAG’s Francisco Braganca, said in the memorandum which was submitted to Parsekar, ahead of the budget session of the Goa legislative assembly.
“There is need to divert the marketing expenditure from road shows and marketing to markets which are not Goa centric into incentives per passenger to foreign tour operators who actually bring foreign tourist like it is being done by competing tourist destinations and is measurable in terms of specific numbers,” the memorandum further said.
“It has been a wasteful expenditure with no tangible benefits or increase in foreign tourist arrivals . There is need to rationalise the marketing expenditure and see that it is result oriented,” the memorandum said.
According to Goa legislative assembly records, over the last four years, the Goa tourism ministry spent nearly Rs22 crore on foreign tours to promote the State as a tourism destination.
“There is need to divert the marketing expenditure from road shows and marketing to markets which are not Goa centric into incentives per passenger to foreign tour operators who actually bring foreign tourist like it is being done by competing tourist destinations and is measurable in terms of specific numbers,” it further said.