Panaji: Days after a local minister in Goa called for restricting short skirts, Union minister of state for tourism and culture, Shripad Naik, on Saturday protested against ‘pub culture’ and said that it shouldn't be used to promote tourism.
Goa's transport minister Ramkrishna 'Sudin' Dhavalikar had earlier also sought a ban pub culture in Goa saying that young girls going to pubs in skirts was against the Goan culture. He had urged the state to ban bikinis on Goa's beaches.
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Naik also said, “what is suitable for our culture, we have to decide". "If we don't divert from pub culture then it will increase and it is not in the interest of the country. We have to promote other branches of tourism.”
Meanwhile, he said that the Centre wants to decrease visafees and air fares in a bid to boost tourism in India.
"We are charging USD 100 as visa fee while other countries like Sri Lanka and Maldives charge only USD 25. We want to bring it on par with these countries which are attracting large chunk of tourists," he told PTI here.
The Union government is also working on lowering air fares, which is discouraging tourism growth in the country, he said.
"Air fares for countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives and Malaysia are lower than India. We are working towards reducing the air fares so as to stop the travellers getting diverted to these destinations," he said.
Naik refrained from commenting on the off shore casinos' issue, stating that it is a state subject and the Union Tourism Ministry does not deal with it.
Culture ke against kuch bhi hoga to hum uska virodh karenge- Shripad Naik, MoS Tourism on Pub culture pic.twitter.com/hbLpseuNU0
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 13, 2014This shows narrow mindedness- Mamta Sharma, NCW on Shripad Naik's statement on pub culture pic.twitter.com/D27gG7aLK8
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 13, 2014
