Says Goa’s image needs to be protected
Panaji: Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Friday said that stern action is needed against illegal touts and guides to prevent Goa from getting a bad image.
He categorically said that Calangute is a testimony to illegalities happening in the tourism sector, which need to be stopped before such things spread to other coastal areas of the state.
The minister further said that the government is here to support Goans who are in tourism-related businesses and is focused on ensuring ease of doing business by bringing in various reforms.
“We want good tourists in Goa. Otherwise an incident like Anjuna can bring bad name for tourism sector. We are committed to support legal businesses and making Goa a top tourist destination in the country,” he said, adding that, the government has begun taking action against illegalities in the tourism sector.
Meanwhile, Khaunte, chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ganesh Gaonkar, secretary (tourism) Sanjeev Ahuja, tourism director Pravimal Abhishek Polumatla and managing director of GTDC Brijesh Manerkar, on Friday, handed over a cheque of `45,29,382 to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, towards dividend on behalf of Goa Tourism Development Corporation Limited.
The managing director of GTDC informed that the corporation made a profit of `15.79 crore during the financial year 2021-22, which is highest in the history of the corporation.
It was informed that the GTDC has been managing its Residencies (hotels), which form a major source of revenue for the corporation. The unutilised/ underutilised land parcels were also tendered out for development in the interest of the corporation under private investment mode, thereby generating revenue to the corporation, without making investment of internal funds, it was stated.
The board has already approved iconic projects under private investment mode, on the land parcels of GTDC, which shall not only generate revenue to the corporation and the state government, but also create employment opportunities to the locals in the state.
The proposed projects under private investment mode are star category hotels at various land parcels, including a state-of-the-art ropeway project and cruise vessels. The necessary approvals are being obtained, and the projects shall be ready for service of the tourists within a span of 2 to 3 years, it was informed.