From the outside, Goa looks like your quintessential paradise retreat, with stretches of beaches, fancy restaurants and all day sun. But within this 'paradise' in the South of india, a lot of terrible things have happened and are still happening.
Is Goa safe?
Well, if the statistics are anything to go by, not really. According to reports in 2011 by The Times of India on average one tourist died every week in the last three years before publication. Now, I know this is nearly six years ago, but when has this report ever really been documented to people outside of India?
One tourist a week is a worrying statistic, one that should have been highlighted by the Foreign Office, concerning the safety of tourists travelling to Goa. And even more worrying is that according to The Times of India 'out of the 161 deaths, 53 of those are not known, mainly because Goa does not have its own forensic laboratory' and is reliant on 'central forensic sciences' from other parts of India.
Security measures needed
Of course not every case was the result of murder, reports claiming drownings, motorcycle accidents and drug misuse were culpable for the majority of deaths. In regards to motorcycle accidents, this could be reported in any major tourist destination in Asia. But with drug mis-use and drownings, there seems to be something far more sinister happening.
People who take drugs and die may sometimes take too much for what their bodies can handle. This, like motorcycle accident,s can happen anywhere, not just in Asia. But what if people died from something they didn't know they were taking? Drugs could be sold to them as something else entirely from what they actually are. In regards to drownings, if it happens in the daytime, surely there are lifeguards on hand to support anyone having trouble in the water?
And if it happens in the night time when parties are in full swing on the beaches, where people maybe drunk then why isn't there any security stopping people from going into the water? If it was one isolated occasion where something terrible has happened then perhaps we needn't look too much into it. But the fact that it's happened time and time again in Goa suggests that nothing is being done with policing or security within the area.
This is something that the Indian Government really needs to take a long, hard look at.
Too many tragedies
On Tuesday28-year-oldd Danielle McLaughlin from County Donegal, was found murdered near tourist resorts in Canacona, Goa. She went to India hoping to enjoy the festivities of the Holi Festival but it ended in tragedy. A 24 year-old man has been arrested and is in police custody. And in 2008, 15-year-old, Scarlett Keeling, was raped and found drowned on Anjuna beach in Goa.
People should be going on holiday carefree without having to worry about horrendous situations that might occur. The state of Goa and India really need to look at protecting tourists from such terrible crimes.
