Team Herald
MARGOA: The Small and Medium Hotels Association of Goa raised serious concerns about the declining tourist footfall in the State, particularly in South Goa, during an executive committee meeting held on Monday.
According to them, despite it being the festive Diwali season, which traditionally sees high occupancy rates, hotels are reporting unusually low bookings.
While addressing media persons after the meeting, the Association president Santosh Divkar announced plans to prepare a comprehensive white paper addressing the current crisis and proposing measures to revitalise tourism in Goa.
“We will present this document to the Tourism Minister, with a special focus on boosting tourism in South Goa,” said Divkar.
They further lamented that the impact of the recently operational Mopa Airport has been particularly severe on South Goa’s hospitality sector. “The last four months have been extremely challenging, and the outlook remains bleak,” noted Dixon Vaz, the association’s vice president.
On a larger perspective about the latest developments, Tudor Dias, a member of the association, expressed grave concerns about the industry’s sustainability for the future. “With such low demand, many establishments are struggling to meet basic operational costs, including staff salaries,” he stated.
The situation has created uncertainty among hotel owners about maintaining their workforce if the downturn persists.
The association also highlighted how stringent music restrictions and elevated fees for organising events have adversely affected Goa’s tourism ecosystem. According to them, these regulatory challenges have prompted tourists to explore alternative destinations, further impacting the local hospitality sector.
The meeting concluded with a resolution to engage with government authorities to address these challenges. The proposed white paper will outline strategic recommendations for rejuvenating Goa’s tourism industry, with particular emphasis on creating a more balanced distribution of tourists between the State’s northern and southern regions. The association plans to present these findings to the Tourism Department in the coming weeks.