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Goa MLA blames ‘vada-pav, idli-sambar’ sales along beaches for falling foreign tourist footfall
Goa tourism department issued show-causes notices to 99 beach shacks on Thursday for allegedly violating the state’s policy governing such outlets
Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Michael Lobo claimed that sale of ‘vada-pav’ and ‘idli-sambar’ along the beaches as a possible reason for falling international tourist arrivals in the western coastal state, calling all stakeholders to bear the “blame” for the crisis.
“There is a hue and cry because of the drop in tourist numbers. In the coastal belt, be it North or South, there has been a sharp fall in the arrival of foreign visitors. A lot of factors are responsible for this,” news agency PTI quoted Lobo.
Also read | Goa is empty? Tourist’s pics of deserted roads and beaches called misleading by some
Expressing frustration that Goans are renting their beach shacks to businessmen from “other places”, Lobo said the government alone cannot be held accountable for the crisis affecting Goa tourism.
“Some people from Bengaluru are serving ‘vada-pav’ in the shacks, some are selling idli-sambar. (That's why) International tourism has been declining in the state for the past two years,” Lobo said.
‘Dark days in tourism soon’, says BJP MLA
The BJP MLA urged the state tourism department and other stakeholders to hold a joint meeting to brainstorm on why foreign tourists are not willing to visit Goa in recent times.
Lobo said the state should sort out the crucial issues affecting tourism, including differences between the cab aggregators and local tourist taxi operators.
“If we don’t put a system in place, we will see dark days in the tourism sector,” he cautioned.
The MLA also suggested that the Ukraine war could be the reason for declining tourist arrivals from those regions. “The tourists from former USSR countries have stopped visiting Goa,” Lobo claimed.
Also read | Goa tourism body vows to counter ‘foreign media marketing campaigns’
Notices issues for violating ‘rules’
Later, the Goa tourism department issued show-causes notices to 99 beach shacks on Thursday for allegedly violating the state’s policy governing such outlets.
80 shacks in North Goa and 19 in South Goa were found to be violating the policy during a surprise inspection.
“The inspection revealed multiple violations of the Goa Shack Policy, including instances of subletting. As a result, show-cause notices have been issued to the violators,” a spokesperson of the department told PTI.
