PANAJI
The tourism stakeholders have clearly said that the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals like Sunburn and Supersonic should not happen in December in the state. However, stakeholders maintain that such EDMs are welcome and they should happen in other months of the year, if not in December.
Till 2015, both Sunburn and Supersonic used to happen in Goa every year between December 25 and 31, which put a lot of stress on the infrastructure, as high number of music lovers poured in the State during peak tourism season. However, in 2016 both Sunburn and Supersonic moved out of Goa to other states of India.
President, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Savio Messias, said, "As far as trade is concerned, it is better to have EDMs anywhere else because as it is Goa gets enough tourists in the last week of December. We are not against EDMs, but we would prefer if they happen at some other time of the year."
This is the crux of the matter, as a lot of foreign and domestic tourists arrive in Goa between Christmas and New Year's Eve making hoteliers and everyone else in the trade really occupied.
A seasoned hotelier, on the condition of anonymity, said, "EDM organisers claim that they bring a good number of tourists to Goa. If they are so sure of bringing so many tourists, they can organise EDMs in other months. Why have them between Christmas and New Year?"
He continued, "Worst time to have an EDM is between Christmas and New Year. Due to this, so many tourists pour in the beach belt of North Goa that it gets totally paralysed. We need to respect the carrying capacity of the beaches of North Goa before thinking of EDMs."
Two points emerge from this. One, EDMs happen in December when Goa receives a huge number of tourists even otherwise. Two, EDMs happen in Vagator-Candolim belt of North Goa, where roads are too narrow and infrastructure insufficient to support events like these.
But the organisers of EDMs may not be willing to shift the events to other months of the year. To deal with this problem, Messias suggested, "The state government should give incentives to EDM organisers to move these events to months apart from December. Some kind of rebates can be given in fees. For instance, police charges are very high for EDMs in Goa. I have been pleading with the government to restructure police charges."
The tourism stakeholders have clearly said that the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals like Sunburn and Supersonic should not happen in December in the state. However, stakeholders maintain that such EDMs are welcome and they should happen in other months of the year, if not in December.
Till 2015, both Sunburn and Supersonic used to happen in Goa every year between December 25 and 31, which put a lot of stress on the infrastructure, as high number of music lovers poured in the State during peak tourism season. However, in 2016 both Sunburn and Supersonic moved out of Goa to other states of India.
President, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Savio Messias, said, "As far as trade is concerned, it is better to have EDMs anywhere else because as it is Goa gets enough tourists in the last week of December. We are not against EDMs, but we would prefer if they happen at some other time of the year."
This is the crux of the matter, as a lot of foreign and domestic tourists arrive in Goa between Christmas and New Year's Eve making hoteliers and everyone else in the trade really occupied.
A seasoned hotelier, on the condition of anonymity, said, "EDM organisers claim that they bring a good number of tourists to Goa. If they are so sure of bringing so many tourists, they can organise EDMs in other months. Why have them between Christmas and New Year?"
He continued, "Worst time to have an EDM is between Christmas and New Year. Due to this, so many tourists pour in the beach belt of North Goa that it gets totally paralysed. We need to respect the carrying capacity of the beaches of North Goa before thinking of EDMs."
Two points emerge from this. One, EDMs happen in December when Goa receives a huge number of tourists even otherwise. Two, EDMs happen in Vagator-Candolim belt of North Goa, where roads are too narrow and infrastructure insufficient to support events like these.
But the organisers of EDMs may not be willing to shift the events to other months of the year. To deal with this problem, Messias suggested, "The state government should give incentives to EDM organisers to move these events to months apart from December. Some kind of rebates can be given in fees. For instance, police charges are very high for EDMs in Goa. I have been pleading with the government to restructure police charges."
