Women are exploited in tourism, says study

Panaji: The Centre for Responsible Tourism (CRT) unveiled a study on women workforce in Goa’s tourism sector on Friday, which questioned the myth that tourism provides employment opportunities to women.

The study was unveiled at a consultative session held by the Goa Church affiliated organisation. Father Savio Fernandes of CRT said, “The sense of the meeting was that the women are generally being commoditised as products in tourism.” He demanded that gender diversity must be part of a new tourism policy of the State and also questioned the present model of tourism development.

The study revealed that in Goa, “Women pay a much bigger price, in terms of things like gambling, liquor and prostitution, instead of benefiting from the tourism.” I also rejected the perception that tourism opens doors of opportunities for women. “[Women] are exploited as cheap labour, or as objects of pleasure.”

Several NGOs and women’s collectives participated in the consultative, where participants, led by lawyer and social activist Caroline Colaco, said the State has acquired a dubious name for being a centre for sex, drugs, cheap booze, and gambling.

Father Ferddy Braganza, general secretary of CRT said, “Tourism policy of the State must be made inclusive, and the policies related to women in tourism must be mainstreamed.”