Peons, clerks and even sweepers part of tourism department’s promotional events

PANAJI: Calling it a wasteful expenditure, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), the tourism trade body, has requested the tourism department to cancel road shows planned in untapped markets. The TTAG has also reacted strongly to the department randomly sending people, at times even clerks and accountants, to participate in road shows and trade fairs.
Records show that, in the past, engineers, peons, stenos, sweepers and accountants attached to either the tourism department or Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) have been part of promotional events.
While in 2007-2008, they were made part of promotional events held in various parts of the country, in the following years peons and sweepers were not included in the tours. However, some clerical staff did continue to enjoy the frills of being part of tourism events held either within the country or abroad.
For 2019, the tourism department has planned five road shows each in Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Bulgaria, Oman, Iran, Qatar, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Amsterdam and Hungary.
President TTAG Savio Messias said that at present they don’t want the tourism department to participate in any road shows in markets not visited earlier. “It (TTAG) is strongly opposed to staffers being sent on tours randomly, and who lack knowledge about what they are supposed to do,” Messias said.
Participation in other events — trade fairs — have be done professionally,” he said, adding that for one of the trade fairs — the Moscow International Trade Fair — scheduled on March 13-14, the tourism department has included a head clerk on the team in addition to two officers.
The Oman, Iran and Qatar event planned for April 17, will have a deputy director of accounts accompanying tourism minister Manohar Azgaonkar on a road show.
The TTAG in its letter addressed to the tourism department said that while they appreciated the department’s efforts in selecting trade fairs correctly, it was needed to be done professionally.
“For too long we have had unqualified delegates going on these trade shows,” the TTAG communique read. It also points out that business visitors at trade fairs want to meet decision makers and people who can help close deals.
“The Goa model is more like an information booth, which in today’s age is outdated,” the letter stated.
The TTAG said that state delegates should meet with the TTAG to finalise the strategy for every travel mart as done in Kerala. Also, a report on business realised should be prepared, the apex tourism trade body added.
The letter also stated that tourism stakeholders should be invited to be part of the delegation on the basis of ‘pay their own way’ model and that they be promised a table space at a mart.