Is This The Tourist We Want?
Herald Review August 31, 2014
They fine them in Barcelona and in Venice. Majorca too is debating a fine on tourists who do not cover up in areas beyond the beaches. In Cannes and St Tropez there is a dress code in place for tourists. Only in Goa do we continue to look the other way, allowing tourists to get away with disgraceful behaviour
LISA ANN MONTEIRO
Has Goa taken the Atithi Devo Bhavah ( the guest is God) phrase a little too literally? Hordes of male tourists descend on this destination practically every weekend. The fact they are neither discouraged from holidaying here in all- male groups or pulled up for their rowdy behaviour underscores the obsequious nature of Goa’s tourism industry. Much worse of course is the state government’s sellout to the interests of the trade. So long as it makes us money, just look the other way, has been the government’s policy about issues related to the tourism industry.
One needn't even travel to the coastal belt to catch the antics of a drunk and disorderly desi. Two weekends ago ( August 15 weekend), getting out of the capital city was a slow and painful experience because of the hordes of domestic tourists who were queuing up for cruise rides. Drivers tried their best to keep their irritation under control as MH and AP cars swerved from one lane to another with scant regard for any rules. Creating more confusion on the main road was a domestic tourist in his banyan and briefs, drenched and dancing in gay abandon right in the heart of Panjim, apparently under the impression that he was on the beach.
This of course would be one of the least offensive cases of bad behaviour by tourists. There are those who binge and drive, dump bottles on the beach, take pictures of women, relieve themselves openly, and wander through public streets shirtless and in their underwear.
These people go back to their office and business jobs. What they leave behind is a lasting impression of a state that is being increasingly perceived as a “ cheap” destination.
The question is why should Goa tolerate such mishbehaviour? Recently, the Palma City Council introduced a Good Citizen Plan for the Spanish island of Majorca, declaring that they would no longer put up with bad tourist behaviour. Tourists walking public streets in beachwear and violating the other new civic laws are to be heavily fined and face the wrath of local police.
In Barcelona, the hotelier lobby has protested that tourists walking around town with exposed torsos give the city a bad image. These tourists are ordered to cover up or face the on- the- spot fine of up to €300 ( almost Rs 24,000).
In Venice, the bare- chested and those found littering are fined €500 ( almost Rs 40,000).
Locals in Cannes and St Tropez, in France, introduced a dress code banning bare chests after they were sick of seeing tourists displaying their hairy chests in the streets.
Dress code Candolim localite Francoise D’Souza says tourists who may be well behaved in their own state lose all sense of decency when holidaying in Goa.
“ The dress code on beaches is different from what one wears in the bank and in a supermarket. They should definitely be fined when they roam the streets in their beachwear. Tourists should respect local culture and sentiments when they come here.” She says she finds it increasingly difficult to bring up her young son in this tourist belt.
For over a year, the Basilica do Bom Jesus in Old Goa had volunteers with shawls stationed at the entrance, asking underdressed visitors to cover up. Tourists in shorts and singlets were putting off regular worshippers and the drive was necessary to get the message across.
Similarly, Mangueshi Temple and Ramnathi Temple in Ponda have put dress codes in place for tourists.
In Calangute, the situation gets worse for locals each year. Last year parking provisions were made for tourist buses to station in the paddy fields in front of St Alex Church. Domestic tourists overnight turned the area into an open kitchen and open toilet with some even relieving themselves all along the Chogm road.
The moneyed tourists don’t display any better behaviour. Shaikh Salim, PI Traffic Calangute booked a group of domestic tourists last year who arrived in a Mercedes Benz, claiming to be relatives of a union minister. These rowdies were hurling liquor bottles at passersby from the roof of the car. The car was detained and the men were booked under Section 41 of CrPC for creating public nuisance.
“ They think they can get away with anything since they are on holiday. Many don’t even bother to carry their licenses when they drive. We continue to do random checks on both locals and tourists and in the last two months have booked 150 cases of drinking and driving,” Salim says.
Two weeks ago a group of tourists from Kolkata on their way back from Palolem beach flung a whiskey bottle out of their moving bus. The bottle hit motorcyclist Ulhas Pagi who lost control of his bike. Pagi suffered a head injury and was bleeding profusely. The tourists claimed it was a child in the bus who had thrown the whiskey bottle out, something the locals refused to believe.
Unfortunately Goa has come to be known as a place where one can indulge in all kinds of vices. Francoise says she has hope things will improve but doesn’t see anything concrete happening. “ Our MLAs are supposed to be the representatives of the people but they have vested interests in tourism with a major chunk of their earnings coming from the tourism sector. It is money versus everything else. But money at what cost? At the cost of our children?” Indecent proposal Domestic tourists also come to Goa under the impression that women are cheap and freely available. In May this year tourists travelling in an AP registration car were arrested for making indecent gestures and using obscene language to a girl who was walking the street in Mapusa. When the girl complained, all the four men were booked for insulting and outraging her modesty.
A resident of Margao, Priya Cabral, remembers that night some years ago when she was returning home from work. As she crossed a lonely lane in the heart of the city, a cab full of tourists pulled up. One of them grabbed her, trying to pull her into the cab.
The tourists were taken aback when Priya instead mustered the courage and strength to pull the tourist out of the cab.
“ Goa has turned into a very cheap place where tourists come only to drink, gamble and for prostitution. There are only a few beaches left which are worth going to today,” she says.
Former Sarpanch of Benaulim Royla Fernandes says a mere monetary fine isn’t enough to restrain tourists from misbehaving. Many have money to spend and won’t feel the pinch. It is only when they are detained for a day that the message will go out.
The government would also do well to introduce signs on beaches deterring people from drinking in public and littering.
Tourists should be encouraged to take their garbage back with them and government needs to introduce dustbins on beaches.
Hotelier Ralph de Souza says Goa would do well to streamline its promotion in such a way that the stress is on overseas tourism, MICE tourism and urban tourism so that families and decent tourists are encouraged to visit the state.
Francis Braganza President of TTAG ( Travel and Tourism Association of Goa) says tourists visiting Europe, Singapore and the Gulf respect the environment because law enforcement is strict there.
“ There are huge fines for littering and drinking in public places with fines in Singapore going up to 500 dollars. I have been requesting the Goa government to adopt such a strict regime and enforce these rules with a firm hand.” He too suggests Goa needs to concentrate more on promotion of Goa as an international tourist destination.
“ The growth of international tourists is not keeping pace with the growth of domestic tourism. Goa needs a change in its focus and we need to promote Goa in the international market. The all male groups which come to Goa only to ogle and exploit women create a nuisance and need to be discouraged.” He suggests imposing a high entry tax for vehicles carrying all males.
According to official statistics, there were 3.1 million tourist arrivals to Goa last year, of which 2.6 million were domestic tourists and only 4.9 lakh foreign arrivals. Upto July this year 1.5 million tourists came to holiday here, of which 1.2 million were domestic arrivals.
When Overdoing it ends in Tragedy
Alcohol and food is a deadly combination when one heads out to sea. Compounding the situation is the unfamiliarity with the sea, tiredness and low fitness levels. In a span of five years Drishti Lifeguards, entrusted with saving lives along Goa’s 105 km coastline, saw a total of 31 drowning deaths within their jurisdiction of which 18 ( 58 per cent) were alcohol related drownings.
But Drishti officials don’t blame alcohol alone for the drowning deaths.
They attribute it instead to a series of incidents. Among the domestic tourists it is the yuppie Indian crowd in the age group of 18- 25 years, many working in the IT field in air- conditioned environments who haven’t been in sun for months on end and whose fitness levels are at a low, who find themselves in trouble.
Coming from the hinterland, they have also never seen the sea and never experienced good food and cheap alcohol in such close proximity to the beach.
They eat and drink to their heart’s content, get tired, suffer sunstroke, have no beach familiarization and venture into the water.
“ The moment you have salt water entering your mouth, you puke. But if you’ve eaten a heavy meal the food chokes your windpipe and cuts off your oxygen supply. If you’ve consumed alcohol then you’ve lost control,” one Drishti official said.
Among the foreigners it is the Russians who succumb to the sea. Mostly obese and unfit, this group also tends to eat and drink without limits. Lifeguards find language a problem too when communicating with this group.
“ It’s wrong to say that tourists visiting Goa drink and die on its beaches. Alcohol is only a contributory factor. Nobody drowns if they swim between the red flags,” V K Kanwar CEO Drishti says.
Women don’t feature among the drowning deaths as many of them don’t venture into the water due to lack of changing rooms on beaches.
The lifeguards are often at the receiving end of abuses from tourists who think they are invincible. The company has organised etiquette and crowd management workshops for its lifeguards to equip them with skills to deal with various types of tourists.
Drishti has 600 lifeguards manning 41 beaches and two fresh water bodies Dudhsagar and Mayem Lake.
The lifeguards’ jurisdiction is from sunrise to sunset.
Starting next month, Drishti is also reintroducing beach safety patrolling where staff will be monitoring the beach from sunset to 12 midnight to prevent any untoward incidents on the coast. These are not equipped to do rescues but will assist or call for help in case of any distress.
Review Bureau
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