PRAVEENA SHARMA
Goa may have missed the opportunity of taking the first mover advantage of setting up a marina but it’s still not too late for it to reap the economic benefits accruing from setting up a port for docking leisure boats.
Proposals for a marina in the state have been floating around for over a decade now, repeatedly stymied by opposition and weak political will. The broad definition of a marina is an area in the waters of the sea, which provides parking, storing, re-fuelling, repair, maintenance, rental and other such facilities to leisure seacraft owners.
Goa, with a 160-km long coastline and tourism as its mainstay, can easily generate huge revenue and employment from the marina industry to boost its economy.
If you take a conservative estimate, a single yacht can create direct employment of 1.25 people. A marina will open up jobs for technicians, mechanics, chefs, deck hands, marine engineers and a host of other such skilled employees from the state, who have today wandered off to foreign shores in search of employment. It could lead to reverse brain drain.
Besides earning revenues from mooring fee, berthing fee, food, fuel, water, electricity and other such services, a marina also makes money from maintenance and repair.
Besides earning revenues from mooring fee, berthing fee, food, fuel, water, electricity and other such services, a marina also makes money from maintenance and repair.
This could go up to as much as 5 per cent of the value of a yacht, which is currently priced at around Rs 1 crore. Another source of income for a marina is sale of spares and engines, which will bring foreign exchange for the state government. All these economic activities will add to government revenues.
Additionally, the arrival of high net-worth tourists on yachts and leisure cruises will trigger demand for luxury hotels, products and services and push Goa’s economic growth. The marina will help in building a tourism sector driven more by spending by tourists than volume of tourists.
Today, the state’s tourism is being pushed by low-budget tourists, who come in hordes but spend very little. This has pulled down the occupancy rate of high-end hotels and adversely affected the state GDP. It has also put a strain on the tourist infrastructure of the tiny state.
A marina will ensure all-year-round business for locals as during inclement weather or the monsoon season, Goa’s marina will be used by yachts owners to break their journey on the sea and explore the coastal state.
Yachting events such as Volvo Ocean Race, which are regularly held around the world, will also drive up the nautical revenues of the state.
There are many examples of countries or states, which have made marinas their economic lifeblood. Goa could emulate Croatia, Thailand and other nautical-based economies in tapping the potential of the blue economy – defined by the World Bank as “all economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts”. These countries have multiplied their economic income by hitching their economy to marinas in a big way.
Croatia’s marinas, with around 16,000 berths in the sea, have become a major pitstops for yachts, cruises and boats crisscrossing the Mediterranean.
For instance, marinas played an important role in reviving the war-ravaged economy of Croatia. Its state-owned marina company – Adriatic International Club (ACI) – which began operation in the early 1980, earned a revenue of $30.58 million in the calendar year 2022 up from $26.36 million in 2021. There are over 70 marinas along the 5,835-km coastline of the country, located in the northwestern part of the Balkan peninsula.
Croatia’s marinas, with around 16,000 berths in the sea, have become a major pitstops for yachts, cruises and boats crisscrossing the Mediterranean. They constitute a substantial part of the tourism sector, which contributes 20 per cent to the country’s GDP, and have created many jobs over the years.
Thailand, whose coastline stretches over with 3148 km and is another hub on the global marina map, has seven international marinas with 1,500 wet berths. It’s revenues from marinas is set to touch $28.8 million in the current year.
Thailand, whose coastline stretches over with 3148 km and is another hub on the global marina map, has seven international marinas with 1,500 wet berths. It’s revenues from marinas is set to touch $28.8 million in the current year.
Interestingly, India, despite having a massive coastline of 7517 km, has lagged in tapping the potential from marinas. It has no major marinas to talk of.
Kochi International Marina (KIM), which was built in 2010 on eastern coast of Bolgatty Island in Kerala, is on the verge of a shutdown due to inadequate spending on maintenance. Around 90 per cent of its 40 berths are non-operational, forcing yachts arriving from the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea to go to marinas in nearby countries like Sri Lanka.
Here’s where Goa can pitch in, by filling the vacuum created by KIM. A marina in Goa would fulfil many purposes at once by creating an infrastructure for attracting high-end tourists sailing the seas on their yachts and boats.
The process has already been kicked off with the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) allocating 1.5 lakh square meter of waters in its sea for the AHOY Marina project on a 30-year lease.
The central government has also given a green signal to it with the Union environment ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) observing that the project, promoted by Kargwal Constructions, did not come under the ambit of Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006, and therefore did not require environmental clearance.
The project now has to cross the hurdle of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance. Once this is under its belt, and the fears of fishermen and environmentalists assuaged, Goa can set sail for the port of prosperity.
