Despite parties continuing till the wee hours in popular tourist hubs like Vagator and Anjuna, tourism stakeholders across Goa wore a gloomy look at the start of the long Independence Day weekend, with hoteliers claiming that footfalls were considerably down compared to previous years. However, many remain hopeful that August 2025 will fare better than July.
“This is the first time in many years that I have recorded 50 per cent occupancy during the Independence Day celebrations. I enjoyed full occupancy for the last many years and this trend is disturbing,” disclosed Javish Moniz, home stay owner in Ozra.
Villages along Goa’s northern and southern coastal belts saw crowds swell past midnight, with revellers in the north enjoying festivities well past early morning and those in South Goa winding down hours after midnight.
Ernest Dias, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Sita India, believes the drop in arrivals is due to lack of proper infrastructure in areas frequented by upmarket tourists and the way airlines and hotels hike prices.
“Whilst the flow of low income tourists remains steady, it is the rich that have stayed back or chosen other destinations because we just do not have the infrastructure. Look at the conditions of our roads. Do you think a tourist wants to come on a weekend to get stuck on the roads because they are not motorable or due to traffic jams?” wonders Dias.
The hike in ticket prices by airlines and hotel rooms during long weekends has also not gone well with visitors. “Airlines jack up prices and so do hoteliers and the latter bring down their prices when the demand is low,” lamented Dias.
“Noise pollution could be another reason why tourists are not coming to Goa because some come to Goa to enjoy its quiet and others come for the loud parties,” says Dias, reflecting on the decline in numbers.
Dias believes those seeking peace avoid Goa because it is now known as a noisy destination, while those coming for parties think twice because of restrictions aimed at curbing noise pollution.
The worry of home stay owners in north and south Goa is not shared by all mid-level hoteliers, who believe the uncontrolled growth of hotels along the coastal belt could be a factor in the perception that number of visitors is falling.
“I think the flow has not increased. Too much permissions have been granted to build hotels without checking the carrying capacity of each village and therefore tourists are opting for new shiny places that also offer cheaper rates,” believes Karen, owner of a starred property in Anjuna.
“I do believe the number of guests may not have increased considerably but the number of rooms has increased disproportionately. Hence the feeling that occupancy is low,” she observed.
The five-star segment of the hotel industry, however, has not felt much of the pinch during the long Independence weekend, with some reporting high occupancy during this month.
“It will be wrong to say that occupancy is down in all hotels. Those in the noisy belt might have suffered but some of us in the south are doing well during this weekend,” stated hotelier Abhay Prabhu from South Goa.
“I have 90 per cent occupancy for this long weekend but from the coming Tuesday, the picture looks very gloomy,” he added.
While mid-level hoteliers wore a gloomy look on Independence Day, restaurant owners in North Goa appeared to have stolen their cheer, with many happy with the turnout.
“We were full right from evening and did not feel any drop in footfalls,” said Linden Mendonca, owner of one of the most frequented restaurants in Vagator.
Taxi drivers, however, expressed their struggles amid the drop in tourist arrivals.“This long weekend for us is bad. Except for clients to some five star hotels, most other hotels have hardly any guests and we taxi drivers are suffering because of the drop of customers coming during this time of the year,” admitted Chetan Kamat, President of Goa Taxi Drivers Association.
“Clients staying in high end resorts normally do not prefer to move out and if they do, they are provided transport by the hotels and we suffer. It is the significant drop in arrivals at many starred hotels this Independence weekend, compared to the previous years that have affected us,” he added.
The complaints of locals from Anjuna and Vagator have a different tone compared to those across the Zuari river. “The music was so loud all night that I could not get sleep and could not go for the Eucharist service this morning. These people (units that play loud music) should know where to draw the line instead of being told,” concluded Vagator businessman Michael Mendonca.
Ernest Dias, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Sita India, believes the drop in arrivals is due to lack of proper infrastructure in areas frequented by upmarket tourists and the way airlines and hotels hike prices.
“Whilst the flow of low income tourists remains steady, it is the rich that have stayed back or chosen other destinations because we just do not have the infrastructure. Look at the conditions of our roads. Do you think a tourist wants to come on a weekend to get stuck on the roads because they are not motorable or due to traffic jams?” wonders Dias.
The hike in ticket prices by airlines and hotel rooms during long weekends has also not gone well with visitors. “Airlines jack up prices and so do hoteliers and the latter bring down their prices when the demand is low,” lamented Dias.
“Noise pollution could be another reason why tourists are not coming to Goa because some come to Goa to enjoy its quiet and others come for the loud parties,” says Dias, reflecting on the decline in numbers.
Dias believes those seeking peace avoid Goa because it is now known as a noisy destination, while those coming for parties think twice because of restrictions aimed at curbing noise pollution.
The worry of home stay owners in north and south Goa is not shared by all mid-level hoteliers, who believe the uncontrolled growth of hotels along the coastal belt could be a factor in the perception that number of visitors is falling.
“I think the flow has not increased. Too much permissions have been granted to build hotels without checking the carrying capacity of each village and therefore tourists are opting for new shiny places that also offer cheaper rates,” believes Karen, owner of a starred property in Anjuna.
“I do believe the number of guests may not have increased considerably but the number of rooms has increased disproportionately. Hence the feeling that occupancy is low,” she observed.
The five-star segment of the hotel industry, however, has not felt much of the pinch during the long Independence weekend, with some reporting high occupancy during this month.
“It will be wrong to say that occupancy is down in all hotels. Those in the noisy belt might have suffered but some of us in the south are doing well during this weekend,” stated hotelier Abhay Prabhu from South Goa.
“I have 90 per cent occupancy for this long weekend but from the coming Tuesday, the picture looks very gloomy,” he added.
While mid-level hoteliers wore a gloomy look on Independence Day, restaurant owners in North Goa appeared to have stolen their cheer, with many happy with the turnout.
“We were full right from evening and did not feel any drop in footfalls,” said Linden Mendonca, owner of one of the most frequented restaurants in Vagator.
Taxi drivers, however, expressed their struggles amid the drop in tourist arrivals.“This long weekend for us is bad. Except for clients to some five star hotels, most other hotels have hardly any guests and we taxi drivers are suffering because of the drop of customers coming during this time of the year,” admitted Chetan Kamat, President of Goa Taxi Drivers Association.
“Clients staying in high end resorts normally do not prefer to move out and if they do, they are provided transport by the hotels and we suffer. It is the significant drop in arrivals at many starred hotels this Independence weekend, compared to the previous years that have affected us,” he added.
The complaints of locals from Anjuna and Vagator have a different tone compared to those across the Zuari river. “The music was so loud all night that I could not get sleep and could not go for the Eucharist service this morning. These people (units that play loud music) should know where to draw the line instead of being told,” concluded Vagator businessman Michael Mendonca.