TBM Staff - Mumbai A tourism safety force with powers to arrest and impose fines for ‘touting’, a ‘sustainability’ fee for tourism enterprises and incentives for sustainable tourism — these are among some of the changes proposed in a draft tourism bill that the Goa government plans to introduce in the monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly next month.
Called ‘The Goa Tourism Promotion, Management and Regulation Bill, 2024’, the stated aim of the proposed law, drafted by the state’s department of tourism, is to consolidate and amend the laws applicable to tourism and to “protect, preserve and retain the natural and cultural heritage of the state to ensure that it remains a destination of choice for tourists”.
The proposed draft Bill seeks to repeal two existing legislations that govern state tourism — The Goa, Daman and Diu Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982 and The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001, reports Pavneet Singh Chadha for The Indian Express.
According to the proposed law, a tourism safety force consisting of police personnel and ‘tourist guards’ will be constituted for the safety of tourists and will be deployed in tourism clusters.
“The tourism safety force shall have the power to arrest in case of a non-bailable and cognizable offence; to conduct search of any person and seize any items in their belonging for violations; to secure evidence and to impose and collect fines for offences of nuisance and touting,” the draft states, adding that the force will coordinate with “all the departments and instrumentalities of the state for ensuring the safety and security of tourists in the tourism cluster”, the draft reads.
The draft Bill says that the state’s director of tourism will be responsible for the deployment of the tourism safety force.
Meanwhile, “tourist guards” will assist officers in prevention of crimes against tourists and ensure their safety; assist the local administration and police in preventing drug trafficking, illegal liquor sale or illegal liquor consumption; detain anyone found violating provisions of the Act, alert tourists about touts and assist the local administration and the police in taking the necessary action.
Significantly, Goa’s Tourism Department has in the past complained of not having enough powers to curb “touting” and cited its “dependence” on the police for enforcement of law — especially along the coastal belt. It has also called for an amendment in the laws governing tourism.
The new draft Bill empowers the tourism department, through the ambit of “tourism safety force”, to work in close coordination with the police to curb touting and harassment of tourists, officials said.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said a legal framework to curb touting and other illegal activities is required since, under the current provisions, offenders often escape stringent punishments.
“The proposed Bill has been put in the public domain and the department has sought opinions and suggestions from stakeholders, including industry associations, policy advocacy groups and the public. There’s a chance that the Bill will be placed before the Assembly in the upcoming monsoon session,” he said, adding that the safety and security of tourists “is of utmost importance”.
According to officials from the Tourism Department, due to changes in the tourism industry as a result of technological advancement and procedures, and emergence of new tourism practices, a need was felt for a comprehensive legislation “to integrate and revamp the existing acts and policies which govern the tourism industry”.
The draft adds, “The Bill intends to promote structured growth and development of tourism, regulation of trade and services related and incidental to tourism, facilitation and promotion of sustainable tourism, adoption of data driven decision-making, expeditious grievance redressal for tourists and formulation of standards that deliver quality tourism services”. (Source: The Indian Express)
