National Geographic places Goa in 10 worst beach spots

In what could dent Goa’s image as a top tourism destination, the State has been named amongst the 10 worst beach destinations in the world in 2010 based on six different standards.

Based on six standards, 340 experts have selected the 10 worst cities in the world in 2010 in a selection held by the National Geographic Society’s Centre for Sustainable Destinations.
The 10 worst beach destinations in 2010 include: Vietnam’s Nha Trang, Spain’s Alicante, Lebanon’s Coasts, Grand Strand – South Caroline, India’s Goa, Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh Area, Cambodia’s Sihanoukville, United Arab Emirates’s Dubai, North Shore -New Jersey, Gulf Coast – Mississippi, Gulf Coast – Louisiana.
According to National Geographic, to create the ratings, the centre convened an independent panel of 340 experts in fields from historic preservation and sustainable tourism to travel writing and archaeology.
The panel was asked to score 99 coastal hot spots around the world, using categories such as “top rated,” “doing well,” “in the balance,” “facing trouble,” and “bottom rated.”
The panel based its decisions on six criteria: environmental and ecological quality, social and cultural integrity, conditions of historic buildings and archaeological sites, aesthetic appeal, quality of tourism management, and outlook for the future.
The results appear in the November/December 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveller magazine.
When asked to comment on the listing, Tourism Director Swapnil Naik said he does not quite understand how they reached the conclusion.
“I don’t understand how they reached the conclusion,” he said adding “On the social and cultural front, Goans are said to be friendly and hospitable people.”
“Conditions of historic buildings and archaeological sites are much better than the ones abroad. Our churches, temples and forts are much better than even in London,” Naik claimed.
Naik further questioned how the centre could reach the conclusion without meeting officials in the State?
“I doubt whether they actually visited Goa,” he said adding, “Maybe they just picked some isolated incidents reported on the Internet.”

HERALD REPORTER