Is Goa ‘shack ready’ for the season?

The
tourist season is almost upon Goa. The domestic market beckons. Now the
permissions have been given and the shack owners are busy installing the
structures. There are approximately 260 shacks permitted in North Goa and
around 96 in the south. The government decided to reduce the fees by fifty
percent a demand that was made quite strenuously by the shack owners
association.  The sops in place for the functioning of these shacks are
pretty strict. Cruz
Cardozo, President Shack Owners Association said he was very happy things were
gradually falling into place. He said “The fee waiver had certainly helped in
the decision by many shacks owners to install their structures this year. 
We will be following all the sops that are being demanded. We have to be
careful for our staff and for our guests.  The latrines will be in place
and so will the security cameras. This has been in place for a number of years
now”. He felt the charters would start operations in ten days and with no news
on the charters, they would have to depend on the domestic tourists. He felt
the first charter flights could make it to Goa only in December if they were
lucky. He however felt with the domestic tourists coming in such large numbers,
business would come to them too. Savio
Messias has been involved in the hospitality industry for decades and felt it
was a good decision but bemoaned the fact that some shacks had become dens of
vice. Savio said “Some of them have brought a bad name to the industry. I
however feel this year may not be a happy one for them in terms of
business.  Many of the shacks are on the beach and during the day the
foreigner would spend time on the beach bed and drink and eat there and at
night you have the rowdy stag Indian tourist creating a racket. This year, I
don’t see these two groups visiting Goa from whom shacks earned a lot of
revenue. I am hoping for the best.”  Rajesh
Ranjan has been a senior executive in various hotels in the state as well as a
consultant to others and he felt in all his years he had observed that it was a
good business. This year however he felt there would be a 60-70 percent dip in
business for shacks because charter flights would not be coming in large
numbers if they ever came. He however felt if the domestic market learned that
shacks were expected to reopen then the domestic tourist could come. Nilesh
Shah President of TTAG said the shacks would have to follow all the sops and
the environmental norms if they wanted to stay in business. He said “Protocols
have to be followed and garbage, pollution and sewage have to be handled by the
shack owners. That is the only way forward for their survival and of the
industry. There cannot be any negotiation. The virus will be present during the
season and I strongly believe, we will have to depend on the domestic market.
Our source markets abroad are witnessing an increase in the number of cases so
getting foreign tourists looks very challenging. Right now it is all about
reducing losses. I am happy the shacks are opening and the government accepted
their demand for a reduction in rates. Let us all hope for the best.” One
can only hope those sentiments run true because the shacks are an important
part of the tourism experience in the state and one can only hope all the
protocols are followed for their own sake and that of the larger industry.