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12100
Thu, 07/10/2008 - 20:24
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http://m.oananews.org//node/12100
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Goa is safe for tourists, say UK tour operators
Prasun Sonwalkar London, July 10 (PTI) The murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling got Goa a bad press but tour operators here insist that there has been no let up in bookings since it isstill considered a safe destination.
According to 'Travel Weekly', a leading industry publication, Goa's reputation had come under scanner due to reports about British women spending holiday in Goa fallingvictims to unscrupulous youths seeking extortion money.
However, it said tour operators continued to repose faithin Goa.
Ash Sofat, chief executive of leading tour operator Somak, said: "It's definitely safe to go to Goa. Tourists needto exercise common sense as they would at home.
"It appears that Scarlett was not doing the tourist thing and was mixing with the wrong crowd. If you're backpacking, you would be more exposed – whether in Goa or at home." Somak sent 12,000 tourists to Goa last year and Sofatsaid none of them had any safety or security concerns.
"One of the attractions of Goa is that it is safe. You can walk along the beach from hotel to hotel at night. I do that all the time in Goa. I wouldn't walk around at night inNairobi or even in parts of London," Sofat added.
Jewel in the Crown Holidays send about 12,000 tourists to Goa every season and they have only received a handful ofcomplaints – mainly relating to thefts on the beach.
Managing director Platon Loizou told the weekly: "What happened to this girl was a sad and unfortunate incident but I think Goa is very safe. The case was dealt with rather badly and an arrest should have been made earlier." "There will always be incidents and unnecessary problems as long as people take drugs. My advice to tourists is that wherever they go, they should stay away from drugs," Loizousaid.
Loizou believes the majority of thefts on the resort are due to tourists leaving valuables, such as cameras, onthe beach while they go somewhere else for a few hours.
He thinks Goa's biggest challenge is not safety – but rising fuel prices which threaten to push up airfares dramatically in the next few years. "Brits will go anywherebut they want good value for money," he said.
The recent terrorist attack in Jaipur too had not deterred British tourists from visiting Pink City. Operators say that travellers had become increasingly level-headed about the risks posed by terrorists since the July 7 attacks inLondon in 2005.
"People don't really get put off by terrorist attacks," said Frances Tuke, of the Association of BritishTravel Agents (A.B.T.A.).
"The turning point was 7/7. People realised that attacks can happen anywhere, nobody is immune, and that terrorism is now a global problem. So people are not prepared to cancel holidays. They are much more robust." A spokeswoman of A.B.T.A. told PTI, there was no evidence of any major cancellations for Goa even as the stategot negative publicity due to Keeling's case.
About 750,000 Britons visit India each year.
According to 'Travel Weekly', a leading industry publication, Goa's reputation had come under scanner due to reports about British women spending holiday in Goa fallingvictims to unscrupulous youths seeking extortion money.
However, it said tour operators continued to repose faithin Goa.
Ash Sofat, chief executive of leading tour operator Somak, said: "It's definitely safe to go to Goa. Tourists needto exercise common sense as they would at home.
"It appears that Scarlett was not doing the tourist thing and was mixing with the wrong crowd. If you're backpacking, you would be more exposed – whether in Goa or at home." Somak sent 12,000 tourists to Goa last year and Sofatsaid none of them had any safety or security concerns.
"One of the attractions of Goa is that it is safe. You can walk along the beach from hotel to hotel at night. I do that all the time in Goa. I wouldn't walk around at night inNairobi or even in parts of London," Sofat added.
Jewel in the Crown Holidays send about 12,000 tourists to Goa every season and they have only received a handful ofcomplaints – mainly relating to thefts on the beach.
Managing director Platon Loizou told the weekly: "What happened to this girl was a sad and unfortunate incident but I think Goa is very safe. The case was dealt with rather badly and an arrest should have been made earlier." "There will always be incidents and unnecessary problems as long as people take drugs. My advice to tourists is that wherever they go, they should stay away from drugs," Loizousaid.
Loizou believes the majority of thefts on the resort are due to tourists leaving valuables, such as cameras, onthe beach while they go somewhere else for a few hours.
He thinks Goa's biggest challenge is not safety – but rising fuel prices which threaten to push up airfares dramatically in the next few years. "Brits will go anywherebut they want good value for money," he said.
The recent terrorist attack in Jaipur too had not deterred British tourists from visiting Pink City. Operators say that travellers had become increasingly level-headed about the risks posed by terrorists since the July 7 attacks inLondon in 2005.
"People don't really get put off by terrorist attacks," said Frances Tuke, of the Association of BritishTravel Agents (A.B.T.A.).
"The turning point was 7/7. People realised that attacks can happen anywhere, nobody is immune, and that terrorism is now a global problem. So people are not prepared to cancel holidays. They are much more robust." A spokeswoman of A.B.T.A. told PTI, there was no evidence of any major cancellations for Goa even as the stategot negative publicity due to Keeling's case.
About 750,000 Britons visit India each year.
