Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai said the popular tourism destination should not welcome North Indians as they want to recreate 'Haryana in Goa'.
Calling domestic tourists 'scum of the earth', Sardesai attributed the success of master-plan for Goa tourism to foreign and upper-class Indian tourists as the state was 'superior' than the rest of India.
“Today we have almost six times population of Goa coming as tourists. Those tourists are not top-end tourists, they are also the scum of the earth. Are they responsible? They are not. If you compare Goans to rest of India, we are high in per capita income, social and political consciousness, we are much superior than people who are coming in. Those people, how you will control (them)? Can you control them?" The Indian Express quoted him as saying.
Speaking at the Goa BizFest in Bambolim, Sardesai said it is because of North Indians that the state is facing problems.
"Now we are dependent upon the north Indians and this is what they do. They are not bothered about Goa. They want to recreate Haryana in Goa,” he said.
We tried looking up in Qura to understand if and why goans hate other Indians and prefer foreign tourists instead, and this is what we found-
According to a user, it is because Indians litter the beautiful beaches of the state. "After drinking their cans and finishing their sides, they decided to throw the leftovers right there ON THE BEACH - which they had been admiring a while back!," he said, sharing an anecdote.
Another user believes Indian tourists have a miserly tendency to not pay tips unlike their foreign counterparts who are far more generous.
"Most white people tip , keep the premises clean , do not litter , say hello , thank you , please while conversing . Most indians barely tip , litter stuff , treat waiters as if they are their personal servants," he said.
Perhaps, this is why Sardesai too roots for foreign tourists to visit the state. Early this year, he had suggested to make staying in Goa so expensive that only foreign tourists can afford to visit it.
"Goa should become so expensive for the tourists that they should say ‘I should not come to Goa. It is not worth going to Goa’. Which tourist – Indian tourist,” he had said at a Press Conference.
Goa’s beaches attract more than six million visitors annually while the foreign footfall is around half a million.
