The Government over the last many years has been needlessly squandering crores of rupees on organizing road shows across the world and within the country to promote Goa as a Tourist destination. It has been a misconceived waste of public funds and a free junket for the Tourism Minister and his entourage only further burdening our already empty State coffers.
Instead, if the government had a vision and cared to improve the crumbling infrastructure, Goa would have sold itself. In the current sordid state of affairs with garbage strewn all over even on the beaches which are also infested with stray dogs and cattle, the high end decent tourist will not care to step in. Haphazard planning, improper sanitation, and the uncontrollable stray animal menace all over is projecting Goa in bad light. Nothing more needs to be said about our pathetic and perilous roads. The roadside touts fleecing tourists is another eyesore.
Besides, Goa now branded as the gambling capital has become a very safe haven for the narcotic trade and the flourishing menace of prostitution. The alarming increase in Crimes has further made our once serene Goa, now a very unsafe destination.
Much needed sustainable infrastructure improvement, safety, and facilities that all the people, hosts as well as tourists can avail themselves of must be paramount. This will be the best form of promotion instead of our tourism officials venturing into the unknown for their own pleasure, while flogging a dead horse. Good quality, well spending tourists will not come to experience low class facilities. Reality must match expectations!
