Panjim’s heritage neighbourhood upset over mass tourism; Mayor assures action

Residents of Panjim’s heritage neighbourhoods San Tomé and Fontainhas, referred to as the Latin quarter, are up in arms against what they say is “mass tourism” that has “transformed their peaceful neighbourhood into a noisy and intrusive” experience.
On Wednesday, a delegation of residents called on Panjim mayor Rohit Monserrate seeking solutions, following which he called for a meeting of various stakeholders to bring about regulations for such issues.
“Because of Instagram and social media, that area has become very popular. As a tourist, you (have to) have a basic sense of dignity…don’t put a foot up against somebody’s wall…don’t randomly enter somebody’s house…One resident was telling me a tourist put their phone inside the resident’s home to take videos of their houses. They think that this is a theme park. There are actual residents living there. They (tourists) should have a basic sense of respect and decency,” Monserrate said.
“If you go to that area now, you have tourists coming in at 5:30-6 in the morning for photoshoots…you wouldn’t want drones flying over your house, people (video) shooting outside your doorstep. There has to be enforcement in terms of behaviour of tourists. We are not saying ban tourists from entering the place. Just have the basic decency to not harass them (local residents),” Monserrate added.
The outcry came in the backdrop of a clash between locals and tourists who were doing a photoshoot along a narrow street, during which a resident threatened the tourist group with a stick after they refused to leave when asked to do so.
“The unstructured and unregulated tourism activity being unleashed in the area is greatly affecting the lives of the residents…destroying the local ethos and our cultural heritage, more importantly depriving us of the right to the quality life that we much deserve,” the residents said in a letter to the mayor.
Residents claimed that they are facing issues of narrow streets blocked by impromptu photoshoots replete with professional equipment, noisy tourists peeking/entering people’s homes, urination on the streets, etc.
The residents have sought traffic and parking regulations and the presence of police or wardens to help regulate the crowd in the area.
“We will have a meeting next week of all the departments, police traffic, then let the residents speak to all the departments, let the departments put forward theirs. These people have no issue with tourists coming to the area, they have an issue with how those tourists behave,” Monserrate added.
The area, which dates back to the 1800s when Goa’s capital was shifted from Old Goa to Panjim, is today home to around 3,500 residents, a majority of whom are senior citizens. The neighbourhood is also host to heritage resorts, guesthouses, restaurants, cafés, besides schools, offices and other establishments.