Khaunte: Nation first, visa bilateral ties issue

Vasco: While acknowledging the concerns regarding the UK charter cancellations, tourism minister Rohan Khaunte urged the tourism industry to prioritise the nation’s interests over business interests. Khaunte said that the stoppage of e-visas to UK tourists is a bilateral issue that the Centre will handle.
Khaunte, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at Mormugao port, went on to urge the tourism industry to explore newer markets, particularly East Asia.
“We have to understand that it is nation first. We have issues with UK on bilateral ties. Unless the countries come to an understanding, we have to go through this,” Khaunte said. “I can understand the sentiments of the industry, but we have to understand our nation as a whole. UK is not only about Goa, it is about our country. It will affect us, but it is a bilateral issue.”
A day earlier, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry appealed to the Centre to restore the e-visa facility for citizens of the UK and Kazakhastan. The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) also expressed concerns after several UK charter flights were cancelled.
“We are predominantly dependent on UK and Russia for tourists. Russia is not in a state for travel as they have their own issues. UK also has bilateral issues with India. I have been talking to TTAG and telling them that we need to start exploring new markets. We are talking about e-visas, but during the time of Covid we have been dominated by the domestic market,” Khaunte said.
The minister said that the concerns of the state’s tourism industry have already been discussed and chief minister Pramod Sawant has spoken to Union Home minister Amit Shah about the issue. Khaunte said that the state and the Centre will try to solve the issue but, till then, the industry should tap the domestic tourism market.
Khaunte said that nautical tourism and cruise tourism are two markets that Goa can explore. He further said that the proposed domestic and international cruise terminal at Vasco will help attract more international tourists to Goa.