PANAJI
Despite allegations of lavish spending on foreign junkets and little return in terms of increased inbound tourism from the countries visited, Goa’s tourism officials have been making frequent international trips to “promote” various facets of this tourist destination.
Last year in 2023, a total of 24 trips were clocked – 12 international and another 12 within the country for which around Rs 12-14 crore were spent.
As per details tabled by Minister Rohan Khaunte to an unstarred question by Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, the Tourism Department incurred over Rs 10 crore on trips to international destinations – Uzbekistan, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Portugal, and Spain.
These visits have already come under the scrutiny of the Opposition as despite frequent trips to these countries, there’s barely any increase in the numbers of its citizens to Goa.
Besides these controversial foreign trips, the department has also incurred around Rs 2.09 crore for domestic events, which are paid to event management agencies, with another Rs 2 crore in pending bills.
So far this year, the department has spent around Rs 4.5 crore on foreign trips including roadshows in Spain, Austria and Portugal, costing the State exchequer Rs 1,94,46,500. A trip to Germany for the ITB Berlin event cost Rs 90,36,130 while attendance at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai cost Rs 1,54,08,000. Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Shawn Mendes, Director of Tourism Suneel Anchipaka, and Assistant Tourist Officer Chitra Vengurlekar were among those who attended ATM Dubai.
For domestic events across Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai, the department has spent around Rs 1.39 crore. All these amounts paid are ‘exclusive of tax’.
Over the past one and half years, the minister has attended international marts and roadshows in Portugal, two ATMs in Dubai, and the World Travel Market (WTM) in London. His OSD, whose trips for these events were a centre of debate in the Assembly last week, attended the Moscow International Travel and Tourism (MITT) exhibition, the ATM in Dubai; roadshows in Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna, and Paris, and the WTM in London.
What’s also interesting to note is that in quite a few trips, the actual amount to the event management agencies increased compared to the cost estimated.
The minister has argued that these trips ensure Goa’s presence in the world where emerging markets come.
