PRESS RELEASE 

 
Goa’s Tourism degenerates into Sex Tourism?
The Council for Social Justice and Peace has learnt from media reports that the Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Directorate of Tourism, India Tourism, the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa and the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry are jointly organising the second edition of the Goa International Tourism Mart (GITM). Incidentally, to keep it abreast with the emerging trends, the organisers have proposed to discuss Lesbian-Gay-Bisexuals and Transsexuals Tourism at the Mart where over 400 interested buyers from 28 countries will be present.

The organisers have thus agreed to sell Goa as one of the destinations for Lesbian-Gay-Bisexuals and Transsexuals. 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 tourism.
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.  
The Council strongly objects to such debased form of tourism promotion. It urges the Government of Goa to have a proper vision where it is not swayed by international economic considerations and vested interests but caters to the genuine interests of the local people, always respecting the culture and tradition of Goa.  

Fr. Maverick Fernandes
Executive Secretary