27 Aug 2020  |   05:39am IST

In pandemic times ISL bonanza for Goa hotels

Goa looking at minimum 4000, 5000 nights of hotel bookings; Boost also to transport sector
In pandemic times ISL bonanza for Goa hotels

AUGUSTO RODRIGUES


PANJIM: In the gloom of the pandemic, there is good news for the tourism sector in the State. It is not that tourists will be pouring in, but with the State hosting the Indian Super League (ISL) a large number of hotel rooms are going to be booked and transport facilities availed.

“Goa is looking at a minimum of around 4000 to 5000 nights of hotel bookings. The transport sector is set to benefit and locals too will find some sort of employment during these days and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) agreed to bear the maintenance and refurbishment costs of the stadiums. Instead of getting nothing in this time of pandemic, we are getting something,” Sports Secretary Ashok Kumar said, whilst explaining the State’s push to win the hosting rights over Kerala.

He added, “Football is the State game and when FSDL showed interest in having the whole tournament either in Goa or Kerala, we looked at the pros and cons with the pandemic in mind and thought it would be smarter to offer our facilities instead of allowing our infrastructure to remain idle and capitalise on the trickledown effects.”

The Sports Secretary said that this will help tourism revive in Goa. “Tourism is the mainstay of Goa’s economy and it is probably the last sector to revive because it is a matter of people regaining their trust. Hotels and restaurants have opened in Goa and there is no traffic. This tournament will help kick start the economy, even if it is in a minimal way,” Kumar said.


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar