Looting The Tourists and Thrashing Them Must Stop in Goa, Says CM Pramod Sawant

Many may not agree to this, but we cannot close our eyes to the reality, and the reality is, there are several cases of
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Many may not agree to this, but we cannot close our eyes to the reality, and the reality is, there are several cases of tourists, domestic as well as the foreigners being fleeced in Goa by the people connected to the tourism industry. It is the issue of debate as to how many of them are Goans and outsiders involved in this, but in the end, our tourism industry is getting affected and to atop this Goa’s CM, Mr. Pramod Sawant had appealed the people connected to the tourism industry of Goa to restrain from Looting and Thrashing the tourists.   

Mr. Sawant is working very swiftly to improve the existing structure of the state. He has recently taken up the most important issue of transparency in employment process in Goa and now to give the boost to the tourism industry of Goa he appealed to the people to stop looting and thrashing the tourists coming down to the state otherwise the Goans may lose one of the most lucrative business too.

Mr. Sawant is not wrong when he asked the people to restrain from thrashing and fleecing the tourists since it has been happening for the past many years. There are several dozens of cases appeared in the media wherein the tourists have received Thrashing from the locals and fleeing the tourist in the name of the business is not new in the state.

Domestic Tourists Thrashed at Merces by the locals, even the kids not spared.

There are cases of Taxi Drivers fleecing the tourists have kept coming up in the media from time to time. It may recall the case of the attack on the tourists that took place in Merces Goa just two years back. A minor spat between tourists and locals in Merces, Goa, turned violent due to which at least 20 people including a five-year-old suffered injuries.

Enjoy the Hassle-Free Ride While in Goa Book Your Cab on Goa Miles online. 

The incident took place when a 50-member family of tourists, dining at Hotel Cafe Hoble, had an encounter with Lawrence Dias, the prime accused. Dias was angered after one of the tourists allegedly brushed against him, and in retaliation, he slapped another tourist 58-year-old Lahu Ghodekar, reported the Indian Express.

Goa is already facing a huge loss of business in the tourism sector due to the weak tourism policies and lack of facilities in the state and the cases of fleecing, harassing plays the role of adding the fuel to the fire.

Fleecing by the Taxi Operators of Tourists in Goa

Mr. Sawant does not want the Goans to lose further business and hence he appealed to the Goans to restrain from troubling the tourist as they are our guests. “Looting and thrashing of tourists in Goa, a leading beach and nightlife tourism destination, would have to stop if the state’s tourism industry had to flourish,” Mr. Sawant said while speaking at the occasion of tourism-related function at the capital city on Thursday.       

He also added that Goa had to stop relying on the migrant workforce in the tourism sector for the local Goan population to reap rewards from the tourism industry. Lamenting recent spate of attacks on tourists, the Goa Chief Minister said, “Looting of tourists, beating up tourists? What is this? Many times when we see this, we shut our eyes. It may be a foreigner or a local, but if we see tourists facing injustice then we have to help them”.

Sawant also pointed out that more than 50 percent of the tourism sector workforce comes from outside Goa and stressed on the need of locals getting the jobs in the tourism industry of Goa.

“If we look at the tourism industry today, more than 50 percent of service providers are outsiders. It’s only when we bring Goans into this industry, we will be able to help this grow?” Sawant said adding that “How much will we remain dependent on outsiders? If we can’t control this, Goans need to take the industry in their own hands. So many industries have gone out of our hands,” the Chief Minister said.

Goa attracts more than six million tourists into the state but the numbers have been kept declining due to lots cases came up against the tourists in the state. The Rape and murder of foreigners have taken the headlines of international media.

News Source: Outlook India


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9 thoughts on “Looting The Tourists and Thrashing Them Must Stop in Goa, Says CM Pramod Sawant”

  1. Bloody shame goa is getting a bad name , personally I have never had any problems and the local people have been great .. but there does need to enforce rules and regulations more aggressively and stamp out corruption .as I said great people and a beautiful state.

  2. Its not only the local taxi drivers.

    There are many lady boys (hizda’s) who are roaming in nite by dressing like a hot girls and attracting tourists, they say that you can spend the nite with us, but will have to pay in thousands and they take the tourist and stops at an isolated place and ask them for money and even beats the tourist and leaves from there.
    This story of the hizdas every one knows but no body is taking action on them.
    And also the Nigerian who sells drugs openly, but they are allowed to stay in Goa, they harass foreign ladies who roam at nite for club hunting.
    But no one is taking action on this nor stoping them.
    The hoteliers charges lot, the lamanis at beach side charges a lot for massage, or for the jewellery which they sell. But no one is against them.
    But all are against the taxi drivers only, who tells the tourist the truth and shows the visiting places, good restaurants with good food and so on, but some of they charge 200 to 300 extra also.
    Actually all the charges are depend on the
    Type of vehicle is asked by the tourist, if they need a premium innova then u will not get it fòr the rate of a hatch back wagon R. Here the difference is, then the tourist say that they have been charged quite high.

  3. The shack owners are behave badly during new year time especially their boys/ waiters. They treat as if they are doing some favour especially if you are domestic tourist. Then cab owners, they are a separate breed. If nothing is done to correct the coming scenerio then in next 2-3 years Goa will loose all it’s charm, tourism will be destroyed.

  4. Main looters in Goa are not taxi drivers or locals and they are nothing but police on duty. They have set of new rules that out side state tiurusts should carry only original vechile documents where central govt.has given clear instructions that copy of documents stored in govt.web site is not accepted. Plus they wait at the beach restaurants and once u start your vechile, they stop and demand 3/5 K and give accurance that go ahead and tell my name and no guy will stop you. Next junction , they will stop and demand for money. It’s a net work between police guys. Their concept is book the guys in different names and loot the guys who visit other state guys by using their own vechile. If it’s not changed, it’s going to be a big effect on Goa tourism. Plice guys should be friendly and guide the tourists but not looters

  5. A very strong point made by our cm. Promod Sawant sir stating that we goans should take the local businesses in our own hands then hiring outsiders or renting it out , I have personally been working in tourisim line from last 11yrs and I see vast change in the tourisim… Goa is losing its charm for what we are knows…. Always helping… Being polite and happy go lucky people towards our tourist…. Government should boost the youth to take part in local business and jobs, gov should make a fixed pay structure to goans… First preference to goans…

  6. Goa must stop more construction for being pollution free.go and r good ppl.other ppl who r in Goa should b trained properly in good polite mannerism.cleaning of beaches.stop plastics totally.good infrastructure and rates of taxi done down than Goa can beat USA and wester countries.politeness pollution free clean Goa and stopping construction can make Goa number one world .try.nothing is impossible.I dream and vision better than Croatia and morracco if three P done.pollution free plus polite behavior plus permanent stop of construction.a!men I assure ppl n govt of Goa.sure

  7. I come several times to Goa , but I do not buy anything from there. Every single item of daily consumption is sold several times over MRP and this starts at the smallest shops . Beer has no price. a pint can be charges anywhere between 300 to 500. MRP is just 70.
    Very few petrol pumps have debit or credit card machines and no guarantee on quantity.

    Goa to me is anyway far far better than US or Dubai or Singapore. Unfortunately rampant cheating overpricing by taxis combined with the attitude of looting tourists will kill all tourism at Goa. May be that’s what the people want.. No development.. So be it..

    Shrivardhan, Kumta, are far better places than Goa these days, but unfortunately no roads.

  8. Is it Goa A fact that Goa people want to do job what is been given to outsider…And if things to believe…You offered the job, who rented these outsiders there place for greed of getting hefty rents, who gave there shops on lease to these outsiders to do business in every corner of goa…Before ONLY tagging on outsiders JUST CONSIDER ITS GOAN OWN GREED FOR MONEY WHICH HAS RESULTED IN SUBLETTING THERE PLACES,JOBS AND NOW SUB LETTING THERE TAXIS TOO to outsiders….Who is actually to be blamed….Even stalls in Jatra – Why Authority which has goan in administration gives stall to outsider and why shacks originally alloted to Goans is sub let by them to outsiders….Just for some extra money….And than if these outsiders who has paid heavy rent to original Goan owners try to recover the huge rent amount by doing all non sense – is can be prevented if GOANS manage the show by themselves and don’t just make quick money by sub letting the business to outsiders

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