- Friday, February 28, 2025
The BJP legislator Michael Lobo did not elaborate on how the popular South Indian breakfast dish is affecting tourism in his state
By: India Weekly
THE SALE of idli-sambar in beach shacks is causing a “decline” in international tourist footfall in Goa, claimed BJP MLA Michael Lobo.
Addressing a press conference at Calangute in North Goa on Thursday (27), Lobo said the government alone cannot be blamed if fewer foreigners visit the coastal state as all stakeholders are equally responsible.
Lobo rued that Goans have rented their beach shacks to businessmen from other places.
“Some people from Bengaluru are serving ‘vada pav’ in the shacks, some are selling idli-sambar. (That’s why) International tourism has been declining in the state for the past two years,” he said.
The legislator, however, did not elaborate on how the popular South Indian breakfast dish is affecting tourism in his state.
“There is a hue and cry because of the drop in tourist numbers. In the coastal belt, be it North or South, there has been a sharp fall in the arrival of foreign visitors. A lot of factors are responsible for this,” Lobo said.
Everyone, as stakeholders, should bear the responsibility for it, he said.
Lobo said some foreigners visit Goa every year, but younger tourists from abroad are avoiding the state.
“The tourism department and other stakeholders should hold a joint meeting and study the reasons why foreign tourists are not ready to come to Goa,” he said.
Lobo said because of the war, Russian and Ukrainian tourists have stopped coming to Goa.
The MLA said the state should sort out the crucial issues concerning tourism, including differences between the cab aggregators and local tourist taxi operators.
“If we don’t put a system in place, we will see dark days in the tourism sector,” he cautioned.
Notices to shack owners
The Goa tourism department has issued show-causes notices to 99 beach shack owners for allegedly violating the state’s policy concerning such joints.
The tourism department has been allotting shacks to the locals on beaches under the Goa Shack Policy.
During a surprise inspection, 80 shacks in North Goa and 19 in South Goa were found to have violated the policy, the department said in a release.
“The inspection revealed multiple violations of the Goa Shack Policy, including instances of subletting. As a result, show-cause notices have been issued to the violators,” a spokesperson of the department said.
The spokesman said the shack operators will be allowed to present their side. The spokesman said that regular inspections will continue, and action will be taken if any violations are detected in the future.
