PANAJI
The Goa government should emulate the 'hammer and dance' theory while dealing with the State's tourism sector, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa president Nilesh Shah said on Monday, while suggesting that the month of August would bode well for the twin sectors.
Shah also said, that the success of the State's vaccination drive, as well as the Covid protocols strictly observed by the hotel industry, had laid the groundwork for the resurgence of the tourism industry in the State.
"One thing is very clear. We require help from the government by allowing tourism to open. The concept of 'hammer and dance' policy has to be in place. In the sense that, the economy has to open up for their survival and if things go bad, they can hammer it down or put restrictions," Shah said.
The 'hammer and dance' model was first expounded by a San Francisco-based theorist, as an economic model post Covid-19 and deals with a strategy to open up economies, amid the constant looming threat of the pandemic.
According to the theory, economies should alternate between hammering down (strict imposition of restrictions in case of severe outbreaks) and dance (allowing economic activity to occur) when the numbers drop down.
The theory was recently endorsed by All India Institute of Medical Sciences Director Dr Randeep Guleria, who said that economic activity in the country should be allowed to play out in places where the infection positivity rate is less than five percent.
Shah claims that Goa has impressively conducted the vaccination campaign, which could set a foundation for the resumption of tourist traffic by giving visitors the confidence that Goa is a safe destination to visit.
"One good part is that Goa is back on its toes. We have minimum cases. Overall cases are around 1,000, which is a plus sign. 87 percent of the population has already taken the first dose. 20 percent plus population has already taken the second dose. Goa CM has kept a target of 100 percent vaccination of the eligible population as on July 31. We are near that," Shah said.
"Industry is opening up in a very calibrated manner. Unfortunately the bookings are at an all-time low. I am very optimistic that things will improve. Goa has taken maximum safety standards. All the hotels which are open, they are following best of protocol, they are offering best of value packages to the customer," he also said.
Shah said, that August would also bode well for tourism in Goa, thanks to the numerous holidays in the month.
"Goa is very safe and the key word here is sustainable tourism. We are already open and it will gradually grow. In this coming month of August, a lot of holidays in different states are coming up. Things will start improving," he said.
