The rain gods have washed the entire state
clean and painted it in varied hues of green. The several waterfalls in the
state are in their full glory and Goa is at its natural best. Yes, there are
craters on the road and monsoons have shown their negative side too, but that
is hardly going to deter the hordes of tourists who have already started making
their ‘Goa plans’. The state is headed towards not one but two long weekends in
the month of August – from 13 to 15 and from 25 to 28 (that is, if you know the
trick to converting a working day to a holiday on August 26). And while this
news may not delight the traffic authorities, the stakeholders of the tourism
and hospitality industry are the happiest. For, they are looking to rake in
some moolah, at a time when the business is relatively slow.
Koi Asian Dining & Bar, housed in a
renovated Goan Indo-Portuguese bungalow on the Calangute-Candolim stretch, has
become one of the ‘must-visit’ places in a relatively short span of time,
thanks to the amazing experience that it provides to the diner. Shefali Gandhi,
proprietor of the restaurant, says, “The monsoons play an important role for
signalling out the locals who come and patronise us when the out-of-town guests
are away. Long weekends are always welcome. Many tourists flock to Goa, which
in turn is great for many businesses around. However, our clientele is very Goa
centric with many patronisers residing here so we welcome the additional folk.”
Siddharth Savkur, GM, Alila Diwa Goa in Betalbatim agrees. Savkur says, “The
monsoon months are increasingly gaining popularity among holiday makers, which
augurs well for Goa. As everyone who lives here knows, this is the best time of
the year to be in Goa. And tourists are slowly realising it too. This has had a
positive impact on local businesses. I expect that we will be full over both
long weekends, with domestic vacationers.”
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So is the concept of Goa slipping into an
‘off-season’ mode in the monsoons, history? While some people may argue that
Goa has indeed become a 365-day holiday destination, they are outnumbered by
owners of business establishments, especially along the beach belt, who admit
that business is not bad but definitely slow in the rains. Tao, situated in the
capital city of Panjim, is perhaps the most fulfilling when it comes to Asian
cuisine. As such, it enjoys a healthy response from both locals and the
tourists throughout the year. Gautam Bakhale, one of the partners who run Tao,
says, “While Goa is a 365 days holiday destination, business during this time of
the year is always a bit slow, and long weekends do make a lot of positive
difference.” Chef Avinash Martins of Cavatina Cuchina, Grill & Bar,
Benaulim concurs, “Overall monsoons are slow as hotels have an all inclusive
package, thereby guests don’t dine out as much. So long weekends definitely
cheer us up.” For others, it is the nature of the weather that plays
spoilsport. Jude Lobo, proprietor of Souza Lobo, a beachfront restaurant in
Calangute, admits that people are a little hesitant to come to the beach when
it’s raining.
Industry experts agree in unison that the
state infrastructure continues to be a key factor that has direct impact on the
hospitality business. The incessant digging of roads and traffic mismanagement
almost throughout Goa have left a lot to be desired. Gandhi says, “The
infrastructure plays an important role in ensuring the health viability of
business as an economic whole. The infrastructure leading to our restaurant has
made it a tad bit hard on our patrons.” Lobo seconds this point by saying,
“Traffic needs to be controlled properly. Currently, traffic arrangements are a
mess!”
There’s a lot to look forward to over the
long weekends and many hotel properties are busy whipping up something that may
not be designed only for the tourists, but for the locals too. Savkur says, “We
at Alila Diwa Goa are organising Edgy Night this Friday with the band Manthan
to entertain guests during the long Independence Day weekend. We are not yet
seeing an impact for the 25-28 weekend, but bookings are usually closer to the
stay dates during this time of the year.”
Industry stakeholders seem to be all set to
welcome tourists over the two long weekends and it appears that happy days are
ahead. Business owners are looking at bridging the gap between 85% occupancy
and a full house and cash in on the additional impetus to the local businesses,
due to a higher demand. However, property owners are playing it safe by not
expecting anything big to avoid unlikely disappointment. “It’s best to witness
than expect, it leads to less chance of disappointment if the expectations are
not met. Here’s hoping for good weekends ahead,” concludes Gandhi.
