ALLAN D’CRUZ
The tourism season in the State started almost two months ago, but inadequate numbers of foreign tourists have hit shack owners, hotel and other stakeholders in the tourism industry along the coastal areas of Mormugao taluka.
With the closure of mining in the State, tourism, the next biggest sector, faces various problems as thousands associated with it have had to face the brunt, especially the shack owners and hotels in the coastal belts.
Speaking to Herald, All Goa Shack Owners Association President Cruz Cardoso said the business has been totally down as compared to the previous season.
“A dip in the arrival of foreign tourists has affected our business very badly. Usually, we used to draw good business from November to January, but this time, the business is slow even during the peak tourist season,” Cardoso said, reflecting the problems faced by his colleagues at other beaches.
A shack owner from Utorda said it was difficult to run his business at the moment, as he found it difficult to pay wages to workers and recover the cost of setting up the shack. A taxi driver said, “The taxi business has also suffered a blow, as there are fewer tourists as compared to last year.”
When contacted, Tourist Taxi Union Association (Vasco) President Sanjay Naik said they were not severely affected by the poor influx of foreign tourists. “Foreign tourists used to travel by coaches of resorts and travel agencies, while domestic tourists mainly avail of our taxi services,” said Naik. “However, the fall in foreign tourists has affected the shacks and hotel industry along with the travel agencies.”
The main reason for the fall in the tourism business is low turnout of Russian tourists in the State. According to those in the know, shacks and hotels have been relying largely on the Russians who were considered ‘big spenders’, as compared to the other tourists. A drop in the arrival of Russian chartered flights in the State has been linked to the currency depreciation of the Rouble, which has fallen to a record low as against the US Dollar, making it difficult for the Russian tourists to travel to Goa.
When contacted, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar claimed that media reports regarding protests by taxi operators were flashed all over the world, thereby contributing to the decline in foreign tourists.
“We are not getting the required support from the local media to showcase Goa in a better manner,” said Parulekar. “The media should also focus on the positives in the tourism industry of Goa.”
“In addition, there is a considerable drop in tourists from Russia and Ukraine, as the Rouble value has dropped sharply. This has led to a decline in the arrival of Russian tourists in the State,” said Parulekar.
Parulekar then listed out the steps taken by his department to promote tourism.
“We already started developing and maintaining tourist destinations by providing maximum infrastructure to the beaches. These include changing rooms, toilets and freshwater showers at the beaches, besides other initiatives like multilevel parking, Tourism Bhavan, etc.” said Parulekar.
“The newly launched ‘Visa on Arrival’ scheme will attract more tourists in the State. This service is presently provided to tourists from 43 countries, including Brazil, Japan, Australia and Germany,” Parulekar told Herald.
