From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jan 11: Goa’s tourism Industry captains and lawmakers expressed concerns over state being wrongly projected as a sex tourism destination.

 “We should go for clean tourism. Government will try its level best to ensure that Goa is spared from scar of bad tourism,” chief minister Digamber Kamat said participating in a function last week.

Kamat’s statement came a day after tourism minister Fransisco Pacheco had announced that bikini-clad babes would vanish from advertisements promoting Goa tourism.

The tourism minister had agreed that such advertisements portray wrong image about the beach destination.

The chief minister said that the locals and tourism industry players should join hands with the government in projecting Goa as family holiday destination.

State’s lawmakers are debating on this issue after bad media the state received after series of rape cases and drug abuses. The tourism industry is conceding for almost 20 per cent downturn.

 “Tourism will not be affected, if bikini clad women disappear from the posters. In fact, it may help to get good tourists,” Ralf de Souza, president, Travel and Tours Association of Goa (TTAG), said.

He admitted that in some advertisements, the scantily clad woman are shown which projects wrong impression about the state.

The call for clean tourism was given by tourism minister Fransisco Pacheco last week, who categorically had stated that bikini babes on the women should not be equated to sex.

“There are women on beach in bikinis.. Can you ask people to take a bath in full clothes?,” he had questioned.
 The tourism minister had also he will take private players into confidence to get the state rid off the slur.

Goa receives around 24 lakh tourists, of which four lakh are foreigners while majority are domestic travellers.