Garbage will kill Goa's golden goose: Tourism official

Accumulating and untreated garbage is going to kill Goa's golden goose, a top official of a leading tourism and travel body said Saturday.

President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) Francis Braganza also cautioned the state government to stop indulging in grandiose plans and expenses, without really addressing pressing issues of public sanitation before.

"If we do not resolve the garbage crises, we will be killing the golden goose and drive tourists away," Braganza said during an interaction between tourism industry stakeholders and the state government officials and the political executive.

In his presentation, Braganza also said that if the state government ignores the issue and blinks an eye, cheaper beach tourism destinations like Thailand or Sri Lanka would whisk away Goa's tourists.

The TTAG president also warned state Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar against wasting money on "expansive and expensive" projects without tackling urgent tourism-related issues first.

"We first need to clean up the mess on the ground before we build ivory towers. Projects like towers and ropeways are welcome but they will only show tourists all the filth below and not beautiful Goa," Braganza said. - IANS