The monsoons appear to finally be here. As
tarpaulins are rolled down and businesses are covered in plastic, one would
expect the seasonal entertainment buzz to come to an end too, right? Wrong. The
good times are here to stay and won’t let the monsoon be a damper in the plans.
According to Pamela Mascarenhas, Deputy
Director, Department of Tourism, Goa has witnessed 10-12% higher arrivals in
May 2014 as compared to the same period last year. She attributes the credit
for this change to the ‘National media campaign’ that they undertook to promote
‘Raindrop Tourism’.
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The Backyard, a barbecue restaurant and
bar, attempted something that was a complete no-no until few years ago.
Anuradha Visvanathan of Plug PR who represents The Backyard, along with
businesses like Cheenos and Black Sheep Bistro, says, “The Backyard was
strategically opened during the monsoons last year to specifically cater to the
local clientele. This gave Goans the opportunity to go out and enjoy themselves
instead of being stuck indoors. A lot more clients are opening to this concept
now. Cheenos, with their Thursday Indie Nights, are getting Indie bands from
different parts of the country and the live music scene is quite active during
the monsoons. One of the reasons why businesses are pushing their activities
strongly during the monsoons is that these activities help people remember the
brand name of the business during the season, when there is no dearth of
business whatsoever.”
Soul Soufflé in Verna has been pushing live
music gigs by getting bands from different parts of the country and keeping the
good times rolling in the monsoons. Reynold Abranches, proprietor, Soul Soufflé
feels that the best people to do business with are the local people. Reynold
says, “We Goans party a lot; we love our food and we love celebrating the
smallest of occasions. So I believe, instead of waiting for the tourist season
to kick in, we can be a little more accommodating and entertain people from
within Goa. We don’t really have to depend on international tourists to keep
the business afloat. Locally, there is no dearth of business; whatever comes
from international tourists is bonus.”
To sum it up, the change has come about as
a result of ‘realisation’. The tourist has realised that there’s much more to
Goa than just the sun and sand. The businesses in Goa, in turn, have realised
that there’s more to doing business than the domestic and international
tourists. A lot more restaurants and pubs are willing to stay open in the
monsoons to cater to the Goan clientele. Apart from the local people who want
to go out with friends and family to have a good time, domestic tourists from
Mumbai, Delhi and other metros have also realised that this is a great season
to make the most of special hotel rates and monsoon special menus across
different restaurants in Goa. Whatever the reason, everyone is a winner here.
