Will tourism in goa regain its mojo this decade?

In the late 60s, Goa was on the international tourist map with hippies flocking to the beaches in droves. Decades later Goa’s image began to see a sharp decline. This is when desperate attempts were made to revamp the industry. It was in the year 2000 that the shooting of the Bollywood movie Dil Chahta Hai in Goa gave a new lease of life to Goa Tourism. In a bid to revive this sector, the then government had reportedly allowed the shoot free of cost with a condition that Goa’s natural beauty and tourist locations be prominently shown. There was no looking back as the movie, which was shot at multiple locations including Sydney, caught the attention of several lakh tourists, belonging to the younger generation and got them heading towards the coastal State. 

However, in the recent years, the industry has been going through a tough time with several factors affecting the inflow of tourists, especially high-end visitors, both at the domestic as well as international level. 

Successive governments made attempts to restore the once-flourishing tourism industry in Goa, by introducing various ambitious projects like seaplane services, amphibian buses, rope-way, helicopter rides, etc. However, some of these are either scrapped or just abandoned. 

The worried stakeholders have been keeping their fingers crossed at every tourist season but have always been left disappointed. The nation-wide protest against the Citizenship Act is another reason that distanced tourists from the country including Goa, but various factors like crime against women in the past, poor roads, lack of quality infrastructure had already played spoilsport and also eroded the State’s identity. 

The last decade was not as expected but the next 10 years would be challenging to ensure the industry survives. Ralph D’Souza, a veteran in the hospitality sector, has been a witness to the gradual change in the tourism trade. For him, Goa should go back to what it served the tourists many years ago. 

“Why did Goa become a popular destination? It was because of several reasons: a clean and safe destination, its natural beauties such as pristine beaches and villages and these were not overcrowded nor was there any increase in concretization. The mixed culture and cuisine as well as hospitality imbibed in the blood of the Goans attracted more and more tourists. If we have to live tourism for the next 10 years, we have to stress on these USPs because these are the basis on which the entire industry was built on,” he recalled. 

D’Souza, the former President at Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has blamed that creation of artificial facilities are keeping the tourists away. “These facilities are imported from somewhere else and brought to Goa. The tourists want to see original Goa with improvised infrastructure and facilities like better roads, electricity and water supply, proper parking, etc. these basic facilities will also help the locals,” he added. 

A book titled ‘People Over Profits’ – Issues and Perspectives for a people-centric tourism in Goa, has slammed the overexploitation of the beaches. It states, “The beaches of Goa, were once among the most pristine in the country, clean and dense with vegetation and magnificent dunes. This was about four decades ago. With tourism on overdrive, one began to witness callous overexploitation of the beaches for tourism. Those once faultless coasts suffered degradation. Litter and garbage fill the coasts and mechanisms to manage garbage and waste were woefully inadequate.”

In a study about two years ago, the Centre for Responsible Tourism (CRT) had stated that the benefits of tourism were bypassing the people and close to 87 percent benefits are lost in tourism leakages, commission to the high end starred tourist hotels/resorts/luxury rent-backs, major transport operators and ‘unlocal.’

Ranjan Solomon, former consultant with the CRT, who has compiled the book, has stated that only true partnerships between communities and the tourism as well as heritage sectors, built on a genuine appreciation for the aspirations and values of all parties, can ensure the industry’s survival. 

“Not only do we seek to empower the hosts and restore the integrity of Goa’s cultures, the coast, nature, birds, wildlife; CRT also seeks to create a new paradigm of tourism. This paradigm will strive to assert justice, dignity and protect the human rights of workers in tourism,” he 

The current TTAG President Savio Messias has insisted on cleanliness. The garbage issue, he said has to be sorted out not only on beaches but all over Goa. “The very important factor is law and order wherein drugs, prostitution, touts, lamanis, drinking on beaches etc should be tackled,” he further added. 

D’Souza has suggested that repositioning of Goa as a laid back destination, where under this aura the State had 45 per cent repeat year, could revive tourism. “People came for a holiday and the average stay of the foreigners was minimum 2 weeks. In terms of room nights, it was much more than just 2-3 days – the amount of time domestic tourists would stay in Goa. Rather than a party and noisy destination, we have to go back to the basics,” he added. 

With Goa already losing out on tourists from various countries despite successive governments’ so-called promotional tours and road shows, D’Souza has said that marketing even without physical presence will serve the purpose. 

“We would receive tourists from Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Iceland, Netherlands, Austria and then Great Britain and more recently huge visitors came from Russia and CIS countries. We have to revive this and it can be possible by participating with them in promotion. We have enough budgets; if we smartly utilize these we can get everybody back here,” he said while adding, “A joint promotion by charter operators, advertisements, publicity through the electronic media and publishing of magazines can help.”

He also sought auditing of the countries visited by the Goa delegation to understand the result of the visits.  

Messias has also emphasized that ‘Branding and Marketing’ be handled by professionals and incentives are to be offered to those bringing in large numbers of foreign tourists. 

The stakeholders have also pointed out to competitive destinations, which are literary pulling out tourists planning their Goa visits. At the same time, attractive offers like reduction in visa fees or free visas, reduction in landing and parking fees of the aircrafts carrying tourists, among various other facilities commanding the market should be taken up by Goa government for increase in arrivals. 

China, D’Souza said, is a new market, which Goa should tap as their presence is all over the world. “We have an advantage on the old markets because we are known at these places. Thereafter we can target new destinations,” he said. 

As tourism was introduced in Goa, so also came in the shack business. The traditional toddy taper, fisherfolks, etc who lives along the coast started this business. The new concept, probably the first in India, caught the attention of many including, the foreigners who not only spent sufficient time admiring the sea from the shacks but also devoured authentic Goan cuisines. Gradually the number of shacks increased on the beaches.

Over the last few years, the existence of these shacks has become a debatable issue even as the numbers were restricted thereafter. Almost a month after the new tourism season commenced this season, the Tourism department allotted 373 beach shacks along the coastal belt for a period of three years.  

There has been a difference in opinion with the traders arguing that the age-old business continues to be livelihood of many Goan families, whereas the environmentalists and activists lament the degradation of ecology. The encroachment till the high tide line, damage to the sand dunes, etc are the reasons why the shacks are being opposed by certain sections while other state that it should operate but without damages to the environment. 

Now will a lull season, the shack operators have annually been crying over poor business this season, nearly 80 per cent are expected to shut their trade and the future is uncertain!  

Goa earned the notoriety tag when tourist taxis began overcharging customers and behaved with them arrogantly. In recent times, social media was abuzz with such instances until GoaMiles, State’s first app-based taxi business came into light. Despite opposition, the State government backed the business, which was introduced over a year ago, thus ending the monopoly of the tourist taxis. 

The taxi operators fear this would end their business as they do not see a positive future. “We have nothing left in store for next five years, forget about 10 years. After GoaMiles, we have learnt that another app-based taxi service is entering in our domain. We will oppose this too but at the same time, we apprehend that tourist taxi business will be shut,” All Goa Tourist Taxi Association President, Chetan Kamat said. 

For him and his association colleagues, all app-based taxis will be opposed as “it is taking away our traditional business.”