Goan tourism on the verge of stagnation

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

With no immediate plans to develop 'quality tourism' and no control measures taken to arrest the declining 'quantity tourism', Goa is in a precarious situation -- its economy is certain to be hit in the near future.

Statistics till 1996 October show a shocking trend. Tourist arrivals have been on a drastic decline since 1994. From 1989 to 1991, the arrival of domestic tourists had declined continuously. It started rising again from 1992, by a steady 10 per cent, till 1994. Now again it is falling.

While the rise was 6.4 per cent in 1994 compared to the previous year, it fell to 3.5 per cent in 1995. And by 1996 October, it fell another 1.3 per cent.

The trend is not much different in foreign tourists arrivals either. Since 1987, the number had marginally declined for three years, after a five per cent rise in 1986. However, 1990 was a turning point for Goan tourism, which witnessed 14 per cent rise in foreign tourists.

In 1992, foreign arrivals crossed the 1.2 million mark. But the inflow has almost reached a stagnation point now, with the last year registering only a 2.6 per cent increase.

Goa Tourism Director U D Kamat, however, refuses to accept Goan tourism is facing any trouble. "There is a three per cent rise in domestic tourists and a 10 per cent among the foreign arrivals since last year," he says. But he admits the rise in figures has been falling every year.

One reason for this, Kamat says, is the government's shelving of plans for infrastructure development -- the planned casinos and golf courses still remain on paper. Equally worrying is the absence of a proper tourism policy.