7 Jan,2013

Goa’s tourism conundrum
Goa’s multi sectional tourism industry, from all indications, is at the crossroads.  With stakeholders in the industry catering to various segments of the market ~ from high end, to middle/budget, to low end ~ the government has an uphill challenge in holding their often conflicting interests together. Efforts to limit beach beds to a minimum of five per shack, after a decade of rampant overcrowding have not gone down well with some sections of shack owners, while the more reasonable among them seem willing to concede that the long term interest of Goa is best served by setting limits and controls.
Over the years, they have seen that quite a few pensioners among Western tourists were able to bargain for free beds on the beach which while adding to the clutter did not serve to garner too much business either. The problems with tourism in Goa, especially in the crowded hotspots of the beach belt of North Goa, have been festering for a while now with the concentration of volumes and charter tourism resulting in a decline of overall spending capacity over the years. Sections of British pensioners have been particularly voluble in voicing their disenchantment with some of the controls put in place. Restaurants and shacks have reported a drop in business this season, that is attributed to a 25 per cent fall in the British market this year. But with the Russian market increasing by 20 per cent according to industry spokespersons, the market has balanced itself out.
As the peak season extends into January and February, criticism against the controls have mounted. The challenge before Goa is to find a middle path and stay the course on some of the controls that have been put in place. A short term drop is acceptable if it ensures that the State’s tourism thrust puts the focus back on quality tourism and  long term sustainability. It has been often pointed out in the past that Goa is way too small a State and too ecologically fragile to deal with large volumes of tourists without seriously altering itself.
Much of the damage has been done but attempts this season to effect some form of a course correction are critical. Kerala and Sri Lanka are already gaining from Goa slipping into a noisy party zone perception, with an unregulated
number of drive-by, low-end tourists adding to the problems. Goa needs to revert back to its lost niche of being an upmarket destination.
With stakeholders now spread across sections, it is admittedly difficult ground to travel. The South Goa coastline, with its upper-end luxury resorts, has maintained a geographical niche of sorts. An inter sectional  mix, as is the case with the industry in North Goa ~ mixing high-end and middle-level establishments with low-end outlets and hawking on beaches ~ is eventually not sustainable.
Historically, tourism first came to North Goa and it has run throughthe gamut of sectors ~ first with the hippie flower children and Western backpackers. It then saw a spurt of volumes in Western charters and two star and three star establishments to cater to them. Over the past five years,  North Goa is witnessing a spurt in domestic tourism. Simultaneously, charter markets have now moved significantly away from Western European markets to Russian and CIS countries, following a recession. Tourism will always fluctuate with global financial situations. Good years and lean years go with the territory.
The challenge will be for Goa to use its lean period to effect the regulations it needs, to bring back the industry on to a better, more sustainable footing.