PANAJI
It’s the time of year when the festive season and New Year celebrations attract a large influx of visitors. However, more than two months after the season’s official opening, stakeholders lament moderate business activity, overshadowed by challenges such as adverse weather, rising flight fares and the persistent issue of illegal touts. What has added to their woes is criticism on social media.
President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), expressed optimism about the overall business outlook but highlighted a major challenge: the overcapacity in accommodation facilities.
“Business is looking good, but there is overcapacity in accommodation facilities like Airbnb and other setups, particularly in the Calangute and Candolim belt, where the response is unexpectedly low,” he said, speaking to The Goan on the current state of tourism scenario.
President of the Goa Hotels and Restaurant Association Gaurish Dhond pointed to occupancy in major hotels hovering at 70-75 per cent, lower than projected. While the coming days might bring in satisfactory business, he attributed the current decline partly to erratic weather. “The ongoing bad weather could be discouraging travellers. Goa’s weather patterns have also changed,” he added.
On the likely increase in flight tickets, Sukhija added it won’t largely affect Goa’s tourism as many visitors come for quick getaways. Moreover, Goa is accessible within an hour’s flight for many. “If flight rates rise significantly, airlines may end up flying with low passenger capacity,” he cautioned.
Dhond too downplayed the impact of rising flight fares, calling them marginal. “Roads to Goa are well-connected and it’s an alternative for those, from the closer destinations,” he said adding that air passengers usually ignore the marginal hikes.
Sukhija added that most tourists are opting for last-minute holidays rather than extended stays. “It’s a wait-and-watch situation,” he said on how the TTAG sees the upcoming days.
SHACK OPERATORS
DISAPPOINTED
For shack operators, the season has been underwhelming. President of the Shack Owners Welfare Society Cruz Cardozo painted a grim picture asserting that shacks have not done even 10-15 percent of the expected business so far. The reason, he cited, is illegal touts and social media bashing.
“We have a limited influx of international tourists from the UK and Russia while domestic tourists, though in large numbers, are not the spending class we hoped for,” he said adding, “Rising flight fares have also deterred visitors from traveling to Goa whether to enjoy the season, festivity period or the upcoming celebrations.”
Orlando D’Cruz, one of the members of the association, had a similar view adding that illegal touts have tainted Goa’s image as tourists, who have been allegedly cheated, are taking to social media to speak about their ordeal. “We want a continuous crackdown on illegal touts rather than short-term drives by the tourism and police officials. If that doesn’t happen, we might have to think twice before starting our business next time,” he demanded.
The weather has been playing truant, the shack operator added, so that's a travel risk for many.
