Team Herald
PANJIM: The second long weekend this month has not brought much cheer to tourism stakeholders as arrivals have seen a dip, unlike other long holiday weekends. However, the State did see a rush among Goans, either studying or working in other cities, returning to their homes to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.
Hoteliers, however, complain that occupancy did not touch 100 percent, though they were ‘high’. “During any long weekend, people want to travel to different locations but during the Ganesh festival, they tend to celebrate at home or the home towns. The volume of arrivals has declined. Our occupancies are high but not 100 percent,” AVP and GM of Heritage Village Club Guitry Velho told Herald.
Even as Goa receives a large number of visitors from North India, its prime source of markets is also Maharashtra including Mumbai, Pune and other areas besides Karnataka. Velho conceded that with Ganesh Chaturthi also being celebrated in the two neighbouring states, the response was not-so-good this weekend.
His views were backed by Prasad Ramada, owner of a Varca-based resort who said that Ganesha festival usually sees a low response from tourists. “The bookings are not full compared to other long weekend holidays. The western region and Karnataka celebrate the festival resulting in a dip in arrivals,” he said.
Another hotel that usually caters to corporates and business meetings – The HQ – stated that for them every holiday has fewer bookings. “We are full during the working days. The bookings dip not only for the Ganesh vacation but any holiday period,” the Vasco-based hotel’s GM Rajesh Ranjan revealed.
The State nevertheless has been receiving tourists as part of its monsoon tourism package. A tourism official said that families and youth from Delhi NCR, Haryana, Gujarat and certain parts of the adjoining states have been holidaying in the State. “Raindrop tourism is a major hit among domestic tourists. The packages are attractive prompting people to spend their holidays or take a small break in Goa. We have been getting tourists although Ganesh Chaturthi is not a ‘mad rush’ like other long weekends,” the senior official told Herald.
Meanwhile, the number of Goans traveling overseas has increased with Travel Shop Holidays claiming that many local families prefer flying to Singapore. “We have many Goan families opting for Singapore, during the Ganesh vacation. Families not celebrating the festival are definitely there but also those who celebrate it. After the immersion of Ganesha, some families and business groups prefer vacationing abroad,” proprietor of the travel agency, Gaurish Dharwadker, said.
