Centre for Responsible Tourism, Goa

Times of India’s coverage of the CRT’s 10th Anniversary celebrations.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/peoples-charter-gives-voice-to-goans-involved-in-tourism/articleshow/60862646.cms

North Goa collector Nila Mohanan highlighted the importance of “diverging from run of the mill, mainstream tourism and moving towards alternative and responsible tourism”.

She was speaking at World Tourism Day, celebrated by the centre for responsible tourism, an initiative by the Archdiocese of Goa.

In the draft People Charter for Tourism released on the occasion, the demands of the tourist taxi owners include displaying gazetted fare rates of the Federation of Associations of Tourist Taxi Owners and Drivers at prominent location in their establishments, the scraping of the affidavit which stipulated that ‘taxis must be parked at the residence of taxi owner’, etc.

The tourist taxi drivers have also appealed for the tourism department and law enforcement to adopt punitive measures to suspend activities of illegal representatives who operate without proper documentation and thus snatch away the business of local taxi owners and operators.

As far as entertainers are concerned, they have demanded registration under the Tourism Trade Act and demanded that they be entitled to “all relevant government benefits where the first preference be given to Goan artistes at events organised by tourism department and that the government replace the current system of taxing entertainment shows with a tax based on sales of tickets”.

Lifeguards have demanded that they be “deemed employees of Goa tourism department and be treated as government servants where non-Goans will be selected as lifeguards only if there is a dearth of Goan lifeguards“.

Beach shack owners have demanded that the licence to erect shacks be awarded by August 10 each year, where “electricity and water supply be provided from public supply and charged on commercial basis”.

“Tourists are increasingly looking for an immersive kind of experience with the local population, instead of imposing themselves on the local community,” she said, citing the example of homestays that are gaining prominence.

The ecological dimension in tourism cannot be ignored, Mohanan said, adding that “tourism cannot be at the expense of the environment”.