Goa tourism defends film festival spending

PANAJI, India – The big question is whether the International Film Festival of India (Iffi) has succeeded in raking in the tourism moolah, even as the tourism industry has defended the state exchequer

PANAJI, India – The big question is whether the International Film Festival of India (Iffi) has succeeded in raking in the tourism moolah, even as the tourism industry has defended the state exchequer spending huge amounts on the festival which it claims, serves as a high-profile marketing tool.

Official figures now reveal that Goa spent seven times more than the revenue it earned from Iffi over the last seven editions, and questions arise over whether the tourism industry-a key economy-actually benefits from the presence of the mega event being hosted annually by the state.

Information furnished to Rajya Sabha member Shantaram Naik by the Union information and broadcasting ministry in Parliament stated that Goa spent approximately 80 crore as against 10 crore it received during the seven editions of Iffi.

Social activist Roland Martins says that Iffi has isolated a large section of stakeholders. “Is it held to benefit only certain hotels? Are all stakeholders benefitting or only a coterie of hotels?” he asked.

Asked if he felt if Iffi was benefiting trade establishments, Martins said, “The answer that the benefits are not coming in can be seen through the fact that the shopping festival has not happened this year. The organizers claimed 6,000 delegates registered this year. Media reports cite poor turnouts for movie screenings. Where were the delegates?” he asked.

Visitors to the Iffi street, set up on the Corniche during the festival, pointed out that not a single food stall served Goan snacks.

“If Iffi is supposed to showcase Goa to the world, why was not a single stall selling Goan snacks to the delegates and tourists? If you noticed, there was not even a single Goan working at the food stalls. The question arises over who and how many Goans actually benefit from the 80 crore spent from the tax payers’ money,” said Teresa D’Souza, a teacher from Socorro-Bardez.

Ralph de Sousa, chairman of CII, Goa council, says that Iffi and tourism complement each other. “A lot of people come to Goa during the 10 days and it results in incremental revenue (for establishments around Panaji),” he said.

But de Sousa felt that more than the revenue, the real benefit lies in the exposure that the state receives due to the festival.

“Goa is highlighted every day before, during and after the festival through (news and other) reports in glossy magazines the world over. Also, with the film festival, Goa has a slot in the international film festival calendar and rubs shoulders with other international film festivals such as Cannes and Lausanne. This gives Goa free publicity worth crores in the film and fashion industry,” de Sousa said, adding that it is not just some hotels, but also event managers who earn a buck. But more than the revenue, it is the brand publicity that the festival brings, he added.

Edward Jorge, city councillor and restaurant owner in Panaji, said he witnessed an increase in customers during Iffi. “Around 30 delegates would come in every day,” he said, adding that the delegate passes some customers wore made it easier to distinguish festival delegates from the other customers. Iffi did manage to also draw the curious tourist already holidaying in Goa.

Steven Reid, a tourist from Scotland, said he travelled from his hotel in South Goa along with his wife to watch the football film screening.

Manuel Cardoz, president, The Goan Traditional Shack Owners Association, said not many Iffi delegates patronized the shacks on the Calangute-Baga stretch. “Our customers continue to be charter tourists. We did not have any Iffi delegates coming to the shacks here. I feel that Iffi only benefits those with their businesses in Panaji. It does not help the state,” he said.

But Randhir Verma, an Iffi official from Delhi, felt many of those involved in the tourism-related businesses were trying to make a fast buck. Narrating his experience, Verma said, “I had gone to a shack in Baga with my friends. We wanted to have some fish but the only fish available (pomfret) cost between 1,200 and 1,800. The waiter told us there was no cheaper fish available, but I think he was fooling us. And the rates of the costly fish available were only told to us verbally, not displayed on the menu.”

Verma alleged the coastal eateries were exploiting tourists. “They (shack owners) know tourists who come to the shack, especially at night, will eat seafood and hence try to loot them,” he said.

Barnabe Sapeco, a Panaji-based restaurateur, hotelier and member of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s tourism committee said that Iffi delegates either put themselves up in starred hotels or dormitories. “Most of the younger delegates arrived in large groups and checked into low-budget dormitories,” he said.

ESG officials say around 160-odd delegates, most of them student delegates, stayed in tents at the Iffi village. “I feel that while there was no impact on tourism during Iffi, the festival serves as a marketing tool to send the message out that Goa is an international destination,” Sapeco said.

Although the crowd at this year’s festival looked thinner as compared to previous years, ESG officials claim 10,000-odd delegates registered for Iffi 2011. Of these, 2,807 were Goan delegates and 348 were Goa cinephile members.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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