Some members of India’s upper house of parliament are concerned about the large number of tourists in Goa. First of all, this applies to vacationers from Israel and Russia. According to one of the deputies, Shantaram Naik, this Indian state should be protected from occupation by Russians and Israelis. According to him, they literally captured some resort areas and settlements, and this situation cannot be considered ideal tourism..
Naik stated that it was impossible to allow local villages to be spoken of as «Russian» or «Israeli.» He was referring to the villages of Arambol, Ashvem and Morjim, located in North Goa. It is in them that the annual mass predominance of tourists from the two above-mentioned countries is observed. They do not just have a rest, but open their own business in the state and buy real estate. Thus, they drive out the indigenous people, trample on their interests and rights, and violate the laws of the country. All this outrages the deputy.
And although the government has so far refrained from commenting, the authorities are aware of cases when tourists from Russia violated the laws of the country. Published data for 2011 show that more than a dozen Russian citizens were detained by the Indian authorities for various offenses. Foreigners often conduct illegal business activities. Over the past years, there have been rumors about the presence of a «Russian mafia» in the state. The reason for this was some cases of vandalism and fraudulent activities..
There are cases when Russian vacationers neglect the terms of a tourist visa and stay in the country for longer than the prescribed period. Previously, the punishment for this was a fine of $ 100 to $ 200 and an order to leave the territory of India. Now the authorities have approved tougher actions. So, in 2009, some Russian citizens who expired their visas ended up in prison.
All these tightening have not yet affected the intensity of the tourist flow of tourists. The Indian Economic Times has published data that can be used to judge their number during the tourist season. In October-March, Goa was visited by a little less than four thousand tourists from Israel and more than 40 thousand tourists from Russia. This holiday season, the excitement in North Africa has further boosted the popularity of Goan’s beaches. How the authorities will act, the future will show.