Stakeholders see 'average' 70 pc occupancy
PANAJI
Hotel occupancy, which touched nearly 100 per cent during the festive season post-Covid till last year, has plummeted to around 70 per cent this year – a major blow to the tourism industry. Despite this slump, five-star hotels managed to thrive even with a tariff hike.
While drive-in tourists, mostly casino visitors, made appearances during the long weekend, families and couples dropped. Stakeholders stated the current status has been a stark contrast to the ‘revenge tourism’ wave that followed the pandemic.
“After travel restrictions were lifted, we saw a rush of tourists making up for lost time. But this Diwali season, which we anticipated would bring strong footfalls, left us disappointed. Only 70 per cent occupancy was recorded, which is just an average,” President of the Goa Hotels & Restaurant Association Gaurish Dhond told The Goan.
Several factors deterred travellers. The buzz around Maharashtra’s upcoming assembly elections besides fiasco over the GTDC counter and e-bookings for Dudhsagar trips and residents-tourist tensions in Sao Tome and Fontainhas influenced the visitors.
“Today, people opt for alternative destinations when they sense disturbances… We don’t know who intensified these issues but it has impacted travels to Goa,” Dhond revealed adding, “Other tourist hotspots are eager to capture these diverted travellers. Goa has to step up to retain its tourism allure.”
Emerging destinations like Malvan and other Sindhudurg beaches are gaining favour, offering clean shores, fresh seafood and a relaxed atmosphere. “People are turning toward offbeat locations. Ambitious neighbours are making the best use of conflicts within Goa,” Alexia, co-owner of a beachside hotel in Arambol, lamented.
“High fees imposed by tourist taxi drivers and taxi-cab aggregators disputes are discouraging inflow, because it has already gained national attention,” another hotelier from Keri, Dattaguru Malik said.
Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) also conceded lower-than-expected visitor numbers at the start of Diwali season. "The beginning of the Diwali season was not as busy as anticipated for stakeholders. This year has seen a dip compared to previous years. Although the last two years were exceptionally good, we are hopeful that the coming weekend will bring more visitors, as many people tend to travel post-Diwali,” TTAG President Jack Sukhija said.
