Calangute: The sale of idli-sambar in beach shacks is causing a “decline” in international tourist footfall in Goa, said Calangute BJP MLA Michael Lobo on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference in Calangute, Lobo said the government alone cannot be blamed if fewer foreigners visit the coastal state as all stakeholders are equally responsible.
He rued that Goans have rented their beach shacks to businessmen from other places. “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,” he said.
Lobo, however, did not elaborate on how the popular South Indian breakfast dish is affecting tourism in the state.
“The tourism department and other stakeholders should hold a joint meeting and study the reasons why foreign tourists are not ready to come to Goa,” he said. Lobo said because of the war, Russian and Ukrainian tourists have stopped coming to Goa.
The MLA said the state should sort out the crucial issues concerning 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 said.
He also urged the government to put the rent-a-cab scheme on hold citing a lack of parking space and other reasons.
The carrying capacity of coastal villages has been exhausted, and the scheme should be paused until an alternative mechanism is in place, he said, adding that taxi owners are struggling to get business due to the proliferation of rental cabs.
“We need to put the tourism industry back on track so that everyone can survive and earn a livelihood. If the Tourism Minister is willing to help, we should work together,” Lobo said.
He said that Goa is entirely dependent on tourism and called for collective efforts to restore its lost glory.
“Everything should be done collectively and sincerely, without any blame game,” he added.
