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Goa tourists on guard after adverse publicity

The adverse publicity earned by Goa after German minor rape case has forced the tourists arriving in this coastal state to take abundant precautions.

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PANAJI: The adverse publicity earned by Goa after German minor rape case has forced the tourists arriving in this coastal state to take abundant precautions.
       
"Just because of few people, Goa has earned bad name outside. We preferred to come here in a group," Dr Rupali Sarkar, a dentist from Aurangabad (Maharashtra) who is in Goa with her husband Arvind Sarkar said.
       
The newly-wed Sarkar couple is holidaying in Goa and was found enjoying the surf at Miramar beach near here.
       
"My friends adviced me to come in a group and now are enjoying without any fear. It's a real safe place," Dr Sarkar said.
       
Goa which receives around four lakh foreign and 21 lakh domestic visitors annually hit the headlines for wrong reasons for two tourist season.
       
The last tourist season had British teenager Scarlett Eden Keeling's bruised body found at Anjuna beach. While this season began with the allegation leveled by German mother against high profile politician's kin's of raping her minor daughter.
       
Rohit, son of Goa Education Minister Atanasio Monserratte, is already arrested for raping the minor.
       
"There has been much publicity to these incidents. It's you (media) that keep on writing about the things which leads to fear psychosis," Deepak Rama, a mumbai-based professional, said.
       
He said that his friends has strictly adviced him to avoid visitng isolated beaches in the mid-night and not to visit places like the flee market.        

For many, visiting Goa is a risk not because of any rape cases, but due to increasing terrorism in the country. "No place is safe. Even Goa is on the target. Terror attack can happen anywhere. I would not say that only Goa is unsafe," G M Lal, a retired government servant from Patna, who is on Goa trip along with his wife, said.
       
Though the media follow up to the German rape case continues, Goa's beaches are abuzz with the tourists, indicating that holidayers still prefer the state for holiday despite bad publicity.
       
"Goa is a safe place. These two are isolated cases. Tourism department has taken all the initiatives to make their (tourists') stay here a pleasure," Lyndon Monteiro, Officer on Special Duty to tourism ministry, reacted.

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