CANACONA: The sudden rush of tourists during the five-day extended holiday has taken tourism stakeholders in Canacona taluka by surprise and most hotels, tourist vehicles and restaurants are doing brisk business.
Right from Thursday evening, a large number of tourists began arriving in private vehicles in and around Palolem. With accommodation virtually full, many were forced to look for accommodations at the nearby Agonda beach.
“The challenge is that most of the seasonal huts and accommodations are still under construction to prepare for the gruelling oncoming tourism season. The sudden rush was unexpected for us,” informed a tourism stakeholder.
The unusual rush could be felt on Friday evening, as the traffic chaos was far greater than what one normally witnesses during the Christmas season. Canacona police were also stretched to the limit as they tried to regulate the vehicles entering and exiting Palolem beach.
Vehicles from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and even as far as Pondicherry, Madhya Pradesh, UP and Delhi were seen moving around Palolem and Agonda beaches in search of accommodation on Saturday.
With the rush of tourists, most restaurants in and around Palolem exhausted their daily stock within hours, while stalls along the Palolem beach did brisk business.
The situation was similar along other coastal areas of Canacona taluka, as hotels were fully booked at Patnem, Rajbag and Colomb beaches.
Rental bikes were in huge demand and rates shot up to as high as Rs 1,000 a day for an Activa scooter.
Finding no accommodation, many outstation tourists continued their journey and headed towards Karwar, while some reportedly hired rooms in some of the residential houses for their overnight stay.
