Goa: US tourists cancel sight-seeing trip as taxi operators stop them from boarding buses

Panaji: A group of 100 American tourists who arrived at the Mormugao Port in Goa could not proceed on a sight-seeing trip of the coastal state after irate taxi operators stopped them from boarding designated buses, officials said on Thursday.

While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said a probe was underway into the incident, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte offered an apology to the US tourists and issued a stern warning to “unruly” taxi operators.

The incident took place on Wednesday after which cruise operators met Sawant and lodged a protest claiming such incidents would damage the tourism-friendly image of the state and adversely affect the key sector.

“A group of taxi drivers stopped buses that had gone to the port to pick up some 100 tourists from the United States. They had arrived on the cruise ship ‘Ocean Odyssey’. The tourists had to walk almost a kilometre to get to the buses, but had to return to the ship,” Francis Vaz of tour operating firm ‘Le Passage to India’ said.

“There was also a scuffle between taxi operators and a bus driver. The Mormugao police had to intervene but the arrogant taxi operators refused to back down. The American tourists had to cancel their sight-seeing trip. The ship left for Kochi in Kerala on Thursday,” he added.

After meeting tour operators and other stakeholders from the tourism sector, CM Sawant on Thursday told reporters an inquiry was underway and action will be taken against those found guilty.

Such incidents will not be tolerated, the CM warned and added the police had been directed to arrest those involved in the alleged assault on the bus driver.

A ‘preventive action report’ will be sent to higher authorities against the taxi operators involved in the incident, Mormugao police station in-charge Raghoba Kamat said.

A probe was underway into the incident, Kamat added.

State Tourism Minister Khaunte offered an apology to the affected US travellers and issued a stern warning to the erring taxi operators.

Khaunte said the incident was unacceptable and the state government will not tolerate such episodes in the future.

“I offer apology to those who have suffered and share my regrets… these people (taxi operators) will not be spared,” he said.

He said the tourism department will set up a facilitation counter at the Mormugao Port for holiday-makers arriving by cruise ships.

Khaunte said there will be more coordination between the tourism department and the police in managing sightseers arriving in the coastal state.