No "Adventure Tourism Policy" in Goa; but seeking adventurers across the globe.
The ad-hoc water sports regulation policy of 2020, a mere boilerplate document, never enforced. Tourists are OYO, like always!
Goa Government permitted Water Sports activity in the monsoons in the River Sal, River Chapora, River Zuari, Dona Paula Bay, River Mandovi (at Diwar Island away from main navigable channel), Nerul River and Sinquerim River on 4th of July vide a Gazette notification.
While the adventure tourism is almost as old as tourism in Goa; in it's nascent ages, was limited to surfing etc but picked up with the advent of Jet-Skis and motorised boats arrival in the 1980s onwards.
Almost every domestic tourist which arrives in Goa, has experienced for one at least, the buffet of adventure sports options available along the beaches of Goa, in both North and South.
Para-Sailing,Jet Ski Rides,Canoeing rule the roost; but the fact of matter is that Goa still does not have a "Adventure Sports Policy".
This when thousands of livelihoods depend on such adventure sports; and Lac of tourists avail the facility provided, thereby bringing considerable revenue to the citizens of state and Goa.
Scuba diving and Snorkeling,Parasailing,Jet Skiing,Windsurfing,Water Skiing,Kayaking,Waterboarding have been touted as the adventure sports activities available in Goa on various tourism related platforms.
While the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, in 2015 released a very comprehensive "Maharashtra Adventure Tourism Policy" to bring a method in to operations; in order to bring in more interested partners, thus to shore up the revenue of the state. This policy runs into 291 pages.
While in Goa, time and again, policy as per the whims and fancies of those in Government and in Tourism Ministry are launched via notifications, but lack the in-depth mature detailing, which could provide a robust hold for the adventure sports activities.
In November 2020, The Government of Goa came out with a bare-bone boiler-plate "POLICY FOR REGULATION OF WATERSPORTS IN GOA" which is just a kind of hand-note reference for the government officials at max.Speaks only of regulation, which are never enforced.
A comparison with the Maharashtra Water Sports Policy of 2015, which came 5 years earlier with Goa, is a much more succinct and robust.
A visit to Calangute and Baga on any given sunny day, easily reveals that, even after almost 3 years of the policy being made available; it is still on paper and not enforced.Water sports operator dime-a-dozen, flouting even the most basic of regulations.
Para-Gliding and Motor-Para-Gliding has picked up a lot in the Northernmost North Goa; specially by foreigners, who pay hefty price for it. Everything about these operations is unregulated. All of the operators in Para-Gliding business are from North of India from Himachal Pradesh, needless to say are not registered with Tourism Department, neither there is any monitoring of their activity.
Safety is always a non-issue, until there is a fatality.
Even the beaches where motor-water-sports is not available, there are kiosks offering Canoes for Kayaking. All these Canoes have no identification numbers, which is required by law, which means they are being operated illegally.
Trained staff from institute of repute and authority is required for operations, but in spite of Goa having a national institute of water sports; the staff employed are on ad-hoc basis
.
Operators are supposed to have a third party insurance of at least Rs.5 Lac/pax but there is no one there to monitor this.
Tickets and pricing when has to be standard all across, are determined by touts, on customer basis.Same water sports activity, at the same beach, has thus, different rates for different customers.
How many operators have submitted the required safety certificate from NIWS in Goa, is a very big question mark.
The apathy of the situation can be gauged from the fact, how the even Gazette Notifications are issued without sanity. In the announcement of Gazette on 4th July, the water-sports activity are supposed to be operational only during the months of "Monsoon"; but the months of Monsoon are left for open interpretation for everyone.Leaving enough leeway for illegalities, bribes and corruption is the way to launch a new activity, or it has to be water tight?
Sustainable adventure tourism in Goa requires in-depth thought and planning, with the involvement f all the stake-holders, after consulting the benchmark standards at other locations worldwide.
Talking Goa to be a the preferred tourist location nationally and internationally; and launching tourism schemes ad hoc by Gazette notifications, would not take Goa anywhere.