: Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Monday stated that Goa has the potential to be like Mauritius , but govt is making the state a hybrid of Pattaya and Somalia . “The chief minister and tourism minister should visit Mauritius. Goa could be exactly Mauritius, considering we have the same size, but govt has chosen to make Goa a hybrid of Pattaya and Somalia.
Tourism has become a man-made disaster,” he said in the assembly during the discussion on demands for grants for the tourism department. He said that the strength of Goa lies in its natural beauty, hospitality, and liberal and progressive people, and that it should be a must-go destination. But now it has become a must-go destination for “third-rate tourism”.
“It’s because garbage is everywhere,” he said. Sardesai also criticised the homestay policy of the tourism department. He argued that it has deviated from its original goal of employing Goans.
He claimed that instead, people from Delhi are running hotels under the guise of this policy. He further said that the policy mandates that the owner or promoter, along with their family, physically resides in the same establishment. According to the policy, “The definition of the promoter is the holder of a power of attorney of the owner,” but it does not specify the domicile of the owner.
“An upcoming project in Zuari is asking potential customers to buy property with a promise that they are going to get it registered with the tourism department. So tourism has become real estate. It cannot be a parallel real estate promotion agency.
How is it possible that units in gated complexes come under the classification of homestays?” Sardesai said. He further said that if the international airlines continue to shift operations from Dabolim airport to Mopa, South Goa will turn into a “ghost town”. “It will kill the brand Goa,” he said.
Sardesai also slammed the GTDC for allegedly spending Rs 2.9 crore on the 2024 parliamentary elections despite the “election department” having a separate budget. “I don’t know why the chief minister called Sunburn (promoters) ‘babdo’ (poor fellow).
They are actually ‘bebdo’ (drunkards),” opposition leader Yuri Alemao said. Alemao said that Sunburn is the festival of drugs and his party will stand by the people of South Goa in opposing the EDM festival in South Goa..
