Godinho warns stake holders against overcharging tourists

Warning against overcharging tourists, Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho has said, “Don’t kill the chicken that lays the golden eggs. If we overprice everything, we will kill the tourism industry.”

Stating that there has been a 50 percent decline in tourist footfall for the last three months of the tourism season, Godinho said, “Tourists are diverting to other tourist destinations and all the stakeholders of the tourism industry are responsible for this. If hotels, flights and taxis and others overprice, why will tourists come to Goa? People calculate the expanse and Goa is found to be costly.”

The Transport Minister was addressing the inaugural function of blue cab prepaid taxi stand at the Manohar International Airport at Mopa on Saturday in the presence of Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar, GMR official Shrikant Bhandarkar, Blue Cab Prepaid Taxi Association president Sanjay Kambli, president of All Goa Taxi Association Chetan Kamat and Together for Mopa Airport Taxi Association leader Bhaskar Narulkar.

“Goa is the most-preferred place. Don’t kill the chicken that lays the golden eggs. If we overprice everything, we will kill the industry. Sindhudurg is also developing and giving competition. We will suffer if we don’t take moral responsibility,” said Godinho.

“Taxi operators are ambassadors of the tourism industry who meet the tourists first after they land in Goa. It’s the taxi operators who give the first impression of the state. The inauguration of this stand took time because I wanted the right thing for the people of Pernem,” said
Godinho.

Stating that God’s mill grinds slowly but surely, Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar said, “The taxi owners have waited for a long time to see this day. Their patience has paid off. People have put up their efforts in making this a success,” said the MLA.

Sarpanch and members of Mopa-Ugvem-Tamboxe, Warkhand-Nagzar, Casarvanem and other panchayats were also present.