The
collapse of Thomas Cook may force hotels to slash rates and force them to look at other
markets or even the domestic market. This collapse will affect businesses
across various sectors. One of the major attractions in the state are the
scores of restaurants with television sets that show various sporting
encounters that takes place across the globe.
Football is very popular in Goa and is also very popular amongst
British tourists who throng the state during the season. The English Premier
League holds very strong attraction amongst Goans and these visitors. The
performances of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa,
Chelsea and Arsenal, to name a few, can alter the mood of their supporters. It
is not uncommon to walk into a sports bar on the tourist belt and see the
entire bar taken over by British fans of Manchester United or any other club.
Yes, there are the few Goan and other domestic tourists who are present in
these outlets. Many of them spend hours at the outlet watching the game and
consuming various spirits on offer.
Jeronimo Coutinho, who runs the J29 Sports Bar and Grill on the
Candolim beach road, said that during the season, around 90 percent of
customers in his bar were British nationals. He said, “Many of them are
regulars. I have been serving them drinks and entertainment for ten to twelve
years. Many of my regulars have called me and they plan to come via Dubai. They
come to my bar and watch the football and sit here for hours. Well, it depends
on the kind of tourist they are. Most of them drink Honeybee, Romanov,
Hendricks and Gin and tonic, which is a favourite. A wealthier British tourist
will drink scotch and is willing to pay. Generally, they prefer the drinks I
mentioned earlier.”
Lionel Rodrigues, the owner of Roof Top Lounge, Colva Beach
road, said around 85% of his clientele were British and European patrons who
watched football with much interest. He sounded a bit resigned and said, “I am
keeping my fingers crossed. Most of my business is very long term. It is the
first timers who use Thomas Cook. Around 35% of my patrons come via Thomas
Cook. I believe my season will be ‘so so’. I am hoping for the best.”
The Indian hotelier is a doughty lot and this attitude was
visible in Vikas Sharma, VP Operations, Hard Rock Hotel Goa, who said they had
around 200-250 British customers over the weekend. Thomas Cook contributed
around 8% of guests at the hotel but this could be offset by domestic movement.
The situation, he said, can be handled.
The sentiment was duplicated by Davide Cananzi, Owner of
Davide’s Pizzeria, Candolim, who said, “The collapse will affect standalone
restaurants not immediately but within the next two or three months. We need to
take into consideration that now other airlines and travel agencies may
increase their prices, which will most probably reduce the incoming footfall of
the middle class clientele that used to travel and book via Thomas Cook. The
best steps in this scenario would be to focus on retaining a high quality
product and service at a very reasonable cost in order to generate repeat
customers among the residents of Goa.”
Lionel Rodrigues best articulated the mood when he said perhaps it’s time tourism in this state took a hard look at itself and sorted itself out and this could be an opportunity to bring in more focus.