Hotel Talk

Goan B&B hoteliers to design state tourism policy

Chetan Kapoor - Mumbai

In an interesting development, small and medium-sized hoteliers in Goa are coming together and designing the tourism policy. Speaking to Express TravelWorld Serafino Cota, convener, Responsible Tourism in Goa and owner, Dona Sa maria said, "We are a group of 80 small and medium-sized bed and breakfast hoteliers working on a tourism policy to be presented to the Goa government in two months. The policy should have originally been planned by the government a long time back but it is probably the first time that hoteliers are working together with locals and different people in the tourism industry and understanding the day to day affairs in designing a tourism policy for the state."

According to Cota, the policy would be presented to the Goa tourism minister, tourism director and the finance minister will also be invited to discuss taxation during the off-season for the benefit of the state. "Today, Goa perhaps gets higher tourism traffic as compared to the rest of India but due to certain situations (drugs, for example) the graph has already taken a different turn. Also, we are against the high rise buildings and mega projects which are destroying Goa," he remarked, while referring to the regional development plan.

The policy will also lay emphasis on responsible tourism - an aspect much discussed by many tourism associations and countries worldwide. "We are trying to be responsible in the way of disposing garbage, pitching for water-harvesting, growing vegetables, persuading hoteliers to use gober gas, while simultaneously maintaining international standards and connecting fellow Goans by giving each other business; be it the taxi drivers, milkmen, etc. "

Commenting on this, Roberto Amaral, owner, Cancio's House, a newly opened eco-friendly B&B property in Goa said, "There have been very few people who are taking responsible measures already and I have been informed about this. Tourists are realising the need for something different and nature-specific and we are already providing it to our guests."

Cota continues, "Usually, it is the small-time hoteliers that suffer the most due to certain policies, but in our case, we are a group of Hindus and Christians backed by the Goan church which will guide and educate every Goan middle-class person about the benefits of the policy. As we expand, we will also open to big players from the three and five-stars properties, as well as the half-board B&B properties."

Ralph de Sousa, president, Travel & Tourism Association of Goa and Sunit Kothari, executive committee member of HRAWI were unavailable for comment.