O turismo enquanto agente de transformação sócio-espacial: O caso de Goa

Abstract

Tourism as an economic activity in Goa can be traced back to the 1960s, when many Western hippy travelers discovered its untouched beaches, its laid-back and rural atmosphere, and easily found drugs at little cost. However, the lethargic nature of Goa only began to change in the mid 1980s with the establishment of charter flights, introducing to the territory a new type of tourism. The packaging of Goa as a major international tourist destination resulted in the number of visitors far exceeding the number of residents and also the region’s carrying capacity. At the same time that Goa falls under the impact of massive change, it keeps being vigorously promoted as a tourist paradise. Goa is therefore facing the challenge of balancing tourism’s economic advantages with environmental issues and the inevitable change of its character. This paper tries to discuss the development of Goa as a tourist destination, examining at the same time the socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts of such tourism development.