Thaindian News

Panaji, Oct 20 (IANS) The Goa government Thursday did a volte face on promoting lesbian gay bisexual transsexual (LGBT) tourism by choosing to droping a discussion on it at the state-sponsored tourism and travel mart which begins Friday.

The decision was taken after right wing groups and the Goa church criticised the government’s decision to endorse LGBT tourism at the three-day Goa International Travel Mart (GITM).

Speaking to reporters, Goa Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar said that LGBT tourism may not augur well with a section of the populace in Goa.

“We will not have the knowledge session on the issue as it does not augur well with many people,” he said. “The officials wanted to create awareness among buyers about this segment, which has been growing,” said Halarnkar.

He added that he had to bow down to the wishes of the people.

Earlier in the day, retired military captain Dattaram Sawant filed a criminal complaint against GITM organisers for hosting the event, even as right wing organisations like the Baba Ramdev-led Bharat Swabhiman trust (BST) and the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) critised the government for the LGBT tourism programme.

“Even if the government gives permission, people here will not accept it,” BST spokesperson Kamlesh Bandekar said.

“In the last few years, the Goa government has already allowed drug trafficking, casinos and prostitution to fester, now this! We are going to lobby with people against the promotion of LGBT tourism here,” he added,

In a formal statement by the Centre for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a social arm of the Goa Church, Fr. Maverick Fernandes had objected to LGBT tourism and said that Goa was being turned into a sex tourism destination.

“The organisers have thus agreed to sell Goa as one of the destinations for Lesbian-Gay-Bisexuals and Transsexuals,” Fernandes said.

“The organisers have stayed short of including paedophiles in their list, since child sex is also a preference of a few. By proposing to cater to tourists based on their sexual preferences, it appears that the government is reducing Goa to a destination for sex,” he argued.

“It appears that tourism has taken a shape without any vision and such proposals are loaded only with economic benefits without any concern for the social impacts. This is demeaning to the Goan ethos and culture,” he added.

Goa tourism director Swapnil Naik had said Wednesday that LGBT tourism was one of the most promising tourism trends in Europe and that the Goa government planned to tap the same.

“It is an emerging tourism trend in Europe and has the potential to become one of the biggest segments in tourism,” tourism director Swapnil Naik had said.

Goa, known for its beaches, attracts nearly 2.6 million tourists annually, of which nearly half a million are foreigners.