PANJIM: Tourism in Goa is now facing a sharp decline, with industry insiders and tourists highlighting significant drops in foreign visitors. The national media have spurred concerns that Goa may be losing its charm in the face of rising competition from more affordable and well-organised tourism destinations in Southeast Asia. In this edition of Street Voices, Herald TV spoke to people on whether Goa tourism is taking a beating, with freefall of international tourists.
What we are doing in the real estate industry is wrong. Just indiscriminate constructions, high rise buildings…why would people want to come to Goa? Do we want to make Goa like Mumbai or Delhi? Even in my place here politicians offered me to change the zone so I could put up a five story building, but I said no. We said no because culture, art, music, people, is what Goa is known for. If that is going to go obviously tourism footfalls will drop. At the same time numbers is not everything. You need quality tourism. You need people of that standard who will spend money.
A tourist destination is a fashion. At one time it was very fashionable with the UK market, at times it was the favourite of the German market. Then came the Scandinavians, so it moved on. But you never say never. Goa will go through a cycle and the same will return. So we in the industry have to think about how to get back the clientele that we have lost. First, we have to analyse why we have lost international tourists. Second, is it because of the pressure on the infrastructure? Is it because of the garbage on the beach? The most important thing to attract foreign tourists is cleanliness.
Aloo Gomes Pereira, Former Tourism Stakeholder
In 2019, 8.5 million tourists visited Goa. This was before Covid. In 2023, it fell to 1.5 million. It was expected to fall due to economic conditions post Covid. But the government of Goa has spent between Rs 100 to 200 crores. This amount was spent on attracting tourists. But there has not been a corresponding response from tourists. Foreign tourists used to spend genuinely. Today even the domestic tourist is spending. Where are we falling short? The tourists used to come to see the natural beauty of Goa. But today this is not the case since non Goan builders have portrayed Goa as a real estate hub.
Tanoj Adwalpalkar, Social Activist