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Tourism: bringing in the moolah, with racism and uncertainty thrown in
By Joseph Zuzarte [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Goa's recent political upheaval has also up-ended a number of tourism-related businesses, at least in north Goa. As soon as the BJP government fell, a prominent "nightclub" in Vagator, which attracted hundreds of ravers everyday, shut shop, starkly revealing the political proximity of the management.
With the new "interim" Congress government installed, a number of prominent restaurants in the Candolim-Calangute beach belt had to close shop because their permissions were "reviewed", amongst them a famous Zen garden restaurant which suddenly closed down in February, an early end to the season.
The entire tourist police force was also disbanded, only to come back in a new avatar after the end of the "interim" government, while the lamanis, protected by the earlier tourist police, have been sent packing.
Meanwhile, nobody is sure if the River Princess is going to be towed away or not. What initially promised to be a bumper season is turning out to be a bit of an anti-climax, even though there was a steady inflow of charter and other tourists.
Things got off well with the Exposition attracting the pilgrimage tourists, besides the excitement generated by IFFI. The tourism industry here was finally coming to terms with the post-Millennium party blues; the previous season had been good and Goa was emerging as an year-round destination.
Then came the tsunami at the peak of the tourist season in south Asia. Even though it did not hit Goa, its repercussions could be felt in the last two-three months as a large number of European tourists have preferred to stay away, specially since there have been earthquakes in the south Asian region almost on a daily basis.
More than 5,000 European tourists perished in the tsunami. After which came the political tsunami here, which resulted in the closure of a number of popular tourism-related establishments.
With the clamp-down on raves, the scene in Anjuna-Vagator too has cooled down and there has been an exodus of tourists from there. All of which once again brings to the fore the fragile nature of the tourism business, as also Goa's un-natural dependence on the tourism industry.
Why is Goa stuck in the tourism boat? In an interview some months ago with this writer, Matanhy Saldanha, one of the previous Tourism Ministers, said it's because Goa is naturally suited to tourism and it comes naturally to Goans. This is a statement echoed by almost everybody in the Goan tourism industry.
That Goa is naturally beautiful is of course an indisputable fact, though whether tourism related activities also come naturally to Goans is a matter of debate. Much has been made of the famous Goan hospitality. However, even a cursory review of the people in the touristy villages like Calangute will reveal that that "hospitality" is nothing but pure fiction.
It would be more apt to call the people mercenary and racist. The tourist taxis are a familiar example of these "mercenaries". Tourists who prefer to walk short distances rather than take a taxi are routinely threatened with violence and showered with the choicest of abuse (mostly in Konkani), heckled and somehow or the other forced to take a taxi ride at least once during their short holiday; all so that the taxi driver makes some easy money.
Then, there is the racism. All along the tourist areas there's a type of Goan who considers himself superior to his fellow Goans and Indians because of his proximity to foreign tourists. Almost all Goans at one time or another must have reached a point, maybe in a shack or some such, where they encounter the above-mentioned type of Goan, who will block your way with a firm hand and say strongly, "No Indians allowed."
Recently a shack owner told me proudly, "This area is popular because there are no Indians here." European tourists are also encouraged to show racist behaviour towards Indian guests staying in the same resort, even though these days the average Indian tourist probably spends more.
According to a villager in Calangute this is because the Goans were made excessively servile through the long Portuguese rule, though there are probably other reasons for this. It's clear the taxi drivers are the way they are simply because of the hefty loans which have to be paid back.
The off-season starts now and goes on till the beginning of the next season in mid-November. Most hotel and restaurant employees -- managers, chefs, cooks, waiters, etc. -- are hired at the beginning of the season in October, sacked after the peak December season, and a fresh lot hired for the "lean" months, who are then sacked as the "off-season" begins.
What are all those people who will be left with hardly any or no business at all during the off-season, going to do? They try to make as much money as possible during the four months of the season, even if it means being racist and mercenary.
In recent years it's becoming increasingly obvious that there has been too much of a dependency on the tourism industry. It is because of this dependency that the government and trade bodies are making huge efforts to stimulate the growth of this vital (to Goa) industry.
Nobody however seems to have considered the possibility that the tourism industry might not be the best thing. It surely is fool-hardy to rely excessively only on the tourism industry to bring a livelihood to the people.
Besides, tourism also has deleterious side-effects, like the racism and the general "pimping" which goes on everywhere (you can get anything on the beaches these days; all of Goa, with everything and everybody in it is for sale!).
That it is hardly a steady business with steady profits and employment has also been proved beyond any doubt by events over the years. A couple of seasons ago, it was the 9/11 effect. Goa is lucky the recent oil spill was not huge and did not strike the beaches; otherwise it might have been a rather disastrous ending to yet another promising season.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joseph Zuzarte is a long-time journalist, resettled in Goa from Bombay, and a regular commentator in the local media.
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