KARAN SEHGAL
PANAJI
The festive week may have ended but Christmas is yet to ring in for Goa’s hospitality trade with footfalls, from foreigners in particular, drastically dwindling.
New Year’s Eve, otherwise a big draw year after year, is witnessing a significant fall with foreign tourist arrivals dropping by nearly 40 per cent.
President of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Savio Messias, said there is a 30-40% drop in the number of foreign tourist arrivals around New Year’s Eve in the State.
Ever since the current season began, the tourism industry was apprehensive about the number of foreign tourists. Still, there were hopes that the number would recover by the time New Year’s Eve gets close. But the expected has not happened.
Other tourism experts backed Messias’ take, saying the number of foreign tourists has certainly declined.
Ernest Dias, chief operating officer, Sita Travels and TCI, said, “We are receiving six fewer charter flights from the United Kingdom every week this season compared to the last season. This is due to the collapse of Thomas Cook UK.”
Even as the decline in the number of British tourists arriving in the State is being attributed to the drop in number of charter flights, Dias said there is also a decline in the number of charter flights touching down in Goa from Russia as well.
And, it’s not just the general recessionary trends in the industry experienced globally that is to be blamed. It’s competition from other destinations in the region that’s possibly biting into Goa’s market share.
“Goa is facing strong competition from destinations like
Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Vietnam, which are also much cheaper. Foreign tourists are going to these places and not coming to Goa,” Dias admitted.How exactly are those destinations cheaper? Tourism stakeholders maintain that 5-star hotel tariffs are somewhat similar in Goa when compared to Sri Lanka. However, other charges like airport fees, landing fees and also taxes are much higher in Goa vis-a-vis Sri Lanka and other destinations.
In destinations like
Malaysia, Vietnam and Turkey, even 5-star and 4-star hotels are cheaper than comparable hotels in Goa. That being the reason, the foreign tourists are moving to other places for travel.
Messias meanwhile said, “We need to look at other markets to bring foreign tourists. We are working with the government to bring tourists from China. I don’t think we should be going to the US or Australia to bring tourists. One “ those destinations are really far from Goa. Two “ people there have other beach places to visit.”
Last year, the TTAG had criticised the Tourism Department for doing road-shows in foreign countries, which failed to bring tourists. Messias said after that the department has changed the strategy a bit but a lot of work is still required to fine-tune the overall strategy.
