The proposed legislation plans to abolish two current laws governing state tourism, namely The Goa, Daman and Diu Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982, and The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001. It outlines the formation of a tourism safety force comprising police personnel and 'tourist guards' to ensure the safety of tourists in designated tourism clusters. This force will have the power to make arrests for serious offenses, conduct searches, seize items, and impose fines for violations, working in collaboration with various state departments to guarantee tourist safety and security.
The draft bill assigns the responsibility of deploying the tourism safety force to the state's director of tourism. Additionally, 'tourist guards' will support officers in preventing crimes against tourists, combating drug trafficking and illegal liquor activities, and alerting tourists about potential scams. Notably, the bill empowers the tourism department to combat 'touting' effectively, addressing previous challenges related to law enforcement along the coastal areas. The legislation aims to strengthen the coordination between the tourism department and the police to tackle issues of harassment and unlawful activities targeting tourists.
In response to the evolving tourism landscape influenced by technological advancements and changing practices, the bill emphasizes the need for a comprehensive legislative framework to regulate and promote sustainable tourism. It envisions structured growth, regulation of tourism-related services, facilitation of sustainable tourism practices, data-driven decision-making, efficient grievance redressal mechanisms for tourists, and the establishment of quality standards for tourism services. The bill also proposes the creation of a tourism board to conduct periodic assessments of tourism clusters' capacity and restrict new registrations or renewals in areas nearing or exceeding their carrying capacity.
