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‘Enforce protocols, rebuild image’: Goa’s tourism sector tells state govt
The TTAG, a body of tourism industry representatives, called on Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday.
Tourism stakeholders in Goa have called on the state government to undertake an image rebuilding exercise to undo the negative publicity received by the state during the last few months which, they say, has affected the image of Goa as a safe and secure destination, HT has learnt.
Both tourists and locals need to feel safe for the industry to restart, the stakeholders said.
“We at the TTAG feel that we need to rebuild the image of Goa in the eyes and minds of all tourists. The TTAG along with Goa Tourism need to work together to undo the negative publicity received by the State during the last two to three months which has affected the image of Goa as a safe and secure destination,” Nilesh Shah, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), said in a memorandum submitted to the chief minister.
The TTAG is a body of industry representatives, its members called on Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday and suggested that as part of the brand rebuilding exercise, a negative Covid test or a vaccination certificate should be made mandatory for tourists entering Goa at least until October, while large events like music festivals should not be allowed until at least March next year.
Among the measures suggested was deploying personnel who will strictly enforce the protocol at all borders, check posts, railway stations, airports, bus stands, etc who should be properly trained with strict penalties for any mistakes and negligence of duty.
“Entry into Goa (at least) till October 2021 should be allowed based on a compulsory RT-PCR test or antibody test or full vaccination certification or be made to undergo rapid testing on payment at the border check post or railway or bus station. There should be no entry without the above measures,” the TTAG said.
“No high capacity events such as Hunar Haat (exhibition), Sunburn (music festival), religious or entertainment should be allowed till March 2022. These events are super spreaders,” the TTAG said.
“All tourism-related businesses should only take 50-75% of their actual carrying capacity for at least 6 months to ensure social distancing. The actual carrying capacity of each premise should be clearly displayed and the reduced capacity should be stated,” the TTAG said.
The TTAG has asked the government to embark on a publicity campaign to let the message go out that the state is safe to visit -- but only after measures like quarantine centres, mechanisms to enforce protocols and adequate supply of vaccines, oxygen, beds, testing centres with quick results, etc are put in place.
“We urge you, your office, the home department and the tourism department to please undertake the above measures at the earliest to ensure that the image of Goa is re-built and so that tourists and locals will both feel safe,” the TTAG said.
Several ministers have weighed in on how and when Goa should reopen for tourism with some suggesting that only vaccinated tourists should be allowed to enter, while others have suggested that tourism should not be allowed until everybody in the state is completely vaccinated.
