09 Jul 2020  |   03:31am IST

Everyone’s adapting in Goa, even those who are selling experiences

Tourism is not only about hotel rooms and taxis. Goa as a vacation destination for the explorer and not just a traveller was all about experiences, delving onto Goa’s past, sampling a culture so different from the rest of India. And there was an eco-system built around this. It is this eco-system which has been locked down and till this is revived the “paradise” will far from perfect

Ajit John;

Maria Victor used to spend her walking and chatting. She and her team knows virtually every back-lane and alley in the Latin Quarter precinct of Fontainhas and every backs story in those back lanes. Little nuggets like the history of the well next to St Sebastian Chapel, or how the underground water supply was managed.

These learnings were passed on to tourists on her walking tours giving them a feel of Panjim that no video or Instagram stories did.

The human disconnect will ultimately be the biggest blow to tourism much more than rooms with a view do.

“We are in the midst of the most difficult time in the tourism industry. However, the safety of our communities and travellers is of utmost importance and cannot be compromised”, said VIctor

Her 'Make It Happen' heritage trails company are now leveraging on their social media campaigns to continue the work of storytelling and sharing the real essence of Goa. Speaking about the future she said due to travel restrictions and safety precautions, they felt virtual tourism would be inevitably the new norm.  Maria said “Therefore, given the current situation, the need of the hour for us is to digitize our travel experiences. We will be launching our Interactive Virtual Experiences later this month. These experiences will be hosted through video calls and online chat services. These will be immersive and interactive online sessions using multimedia elements such as audiovisuals, amination, music, vivid narration and storytelling. They will be bookable experiences costing between INR 500 – 1000 per person”.

Another company in the same space, Soul Travelling intended to reduce the size of the walking groups from the usual 15-20 to 5-7. Clyde Tellis said they would follow all the protocols like social distancing, wearing masks, and would now be a touchless affair. Payment would be accepted online. He said they would wait for the virus to reduce and check with the local community before starting the walks again. Clyde said they were ready even now but would wait till August -September before deciding anything. They were now conducting virtual tours to interesting parts of the world. This was being done with a passion to share and not a cent was being charged from anyone.  

Another industry affected has been the e-bike sector which has been dependent on domestic and international tourists. Fernandes of BLive Electric Bike/Cycle Tours said now with the business having collapsed due to restrictions placed they were now contemplating commencing the sale of e-bikes from July 15. The tours taken by tourists would cost between Rs 1500-2500 depending on the time one booked for.

Cycling Zens is another Ebike company. Rohan Nagarkar, the owner said they were now renting to those with second homes and other interested parties. This would be for a month and would cost Rs 2500 for high-end cycles and Rs 3500 for electric cycles. He said they would keep changing the business models and woul even look at selling premium bikes.

 The latest player in this business is Let’s Play lead by Abhishek Dwivedi. With the tourism industry now in a limp state, they have moved to provide e-bikes to local restaurants and retail outlets for delivery purposes. They were he said only using 40% of their stock and would bring in more e cycles once the market started showing an upward trend. He said with people buying fruits and vegetables online there was great promise and he hoped this would mean good business for him.   

Meanwhile, The appreciation of art is a quality much appreciated. But in these times such matters can take a back seat. Herediana D silva of Earth Effects Pottery studio said they were shut as soon as the virus came to Goa. She said “We depend largely on tourists for business, be it local or international. Now with the hotels shut everything is in the dumps so to speak. It is difficult.

 Sharon an employee in an art gallery said 6 of the ten people who walked into the gallery were tourists. They usually came from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and now that was not happening. They were still open but no one is walking in, she said.         

Noted artist Subodh Kerkar said around 300 people would visit his Museum of Goa for which they would pay Rs 150. Now those numbers had slumped dramatically. He said his art was still selling but to help increase the awareness of art he was holding online art education sessions. He felt the understanding of art in the state was low and he was doing all he could to change that. The clients he said were talking to him online and his work was selling but he was also focussed on the larger picture.   

If Goa is all about experience, the experience curators are reshaping the way you experience the joys of Goa.