THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024
Whether we admit it or not, there are websites offering hotel rooms for rent in Goa for the current period and flight tickets are extremely expensive, all signs that tourism is not shut down as it should be during the lockdown. The air and rail passengers may have to provide a Goa address when they book their tickets, but those who drive into the State via the numerous non-main border crossings are not required to produce any such address, but then if they are able to book hotel rooms online, why should they?
The government claims that it is unaware of the entry of tourists and of the online booking sites that are offering hotel rooms in Goa. But soon after the train services had resumed, Leader of the Opposition, Digambar Kamat, had alleged that tourists – honeymoon couples included – were arriving in Goa on the trains. This allegation had been denied by the government. But, rather than get into denial mode, the State has to look at opening up the tourism sector in a controlled manner that will keep the industry afloat in these troubled times. There is the promise of a standard operating procedure that will be unveiled after June 1 for tourists arriving in Goa, but this needs to take various factors into consideration.
Goa Tourism has to urgently borrow ideas from other tourist spots across the world for its survival in the post-COVID-19 world. Some countries are already in the process of creating travel bubbles, whereby they identify safe zones from which people can travel to other safe zones for holidays. This may not go down well with Goans in general, as the experience of opening the borders to travellers wanting to come to Goa has led to a spurt of COVID-19 positive cases. But then the persons have been coming from Red Zones to a Green Zone. So, if managed adroitly, getting tourists from a Green Zone would be preferable to the current situation where people are arriving into the State secretly and then freely mingling with the people.
The option therefore has to be something else, as Goa Tourism has to reinvent itself to remain relevant in a new competitive arena. Till now, Goa Tourism has only been ruing the lockdown and the loss to business. Mulling over the past, however, will neither change the situation nor give them ideas for the future. The daily media briefings of the government have revealed that there are enough quarantine facilities in the State, and last week it was announced that 777 persons had been accomodated in hotel rooms. The number has been added too in the days following this. Quarantine facilites may give the hotel industry a leg up in these troubled times, but there are the months and years ahead that have to be also thought of and plans made to ride the rough seas.
Rather than have individual hotels independently selling rooms online and running their business, the government must take steps to streamline this so that tourism ressmes within the ambit of the current laws and rules. It is accepted and appreciated that the tourism industry also needs to survive in Goa. A large number of people depend on it. Everyday that the hotels and restaurant remain closed the losses mount. The industry has to get ready for business and there are people ready to travel to Goa. It is for the government to see how best this can be managed without risking the local residents to COVID-19. Can the authorities rise to the occasion?
