Panaji: Goa Tourism Department on Saturday rubbished media reports that the Goa government will ban bikinis
on the beaches in view of spate of crimes against women in the
holiday destination.
"There are no moves to ban bikinis on the beaches. We
have just moved to ensure that the government sponsored
advertisements do not have women in bikinis on it," state
Tourism Minister Fransisco Pacheco said this afternoon.
The minister was reacting to media reports which
claimed, quoting a senior tourism ministry official, that
bikinis would be banned on the state's beaches.
"How will people bath in the sea without swim wear? There
is nothing vulgar in wearing beachwear on the beaches," he
said.
Pacheco said that the Tourism Ministry is concerned over
wrong portrayal of Goa's image as a sex tourism destination
and that's why the directives were issued to delete bikini
clad women from the advertisements.
"This is a family holiday destination. There are lakhs of
families, many from neighbouring states, who holiday here," he
said.
The minister said that the ban on bikinis cannot be
imposed because foreigners come down here to take sunbath on
the beaches.
Pacheco, a NCP legislator, had recently expressed his
worries over spate of crimes against tourists in the state
after two Russian women were reportedly raped during last two
months.
The minister had demanded that the Congress high command
re-allot the portfolios and move out "inefficient" ministers.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 19:38