the goan I network
PANAJI
The heavy rains that lashed the State affected the business of tourism stakeholders on the Diwali weekend.
Although tourists were seen on Saturday and Sunday, some of them cancelled their bookings after reading the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) advisory asking them to avoid Goa due to heavy rainfall.
Savio Messias, President, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), said, “The rains impacted State’s tourism. Even those tourists who could come in were inconvenienced due to unexpected showers. I know a couple who came to Goa last week with their kids and had to stay indoors for four days due to rains.”
Few flights were also delayed due to rains last week. However, there were no cancellations. Similarly, there were no cancellations of trains either. So, tourists could have come in in large numbers, but they took cognizance of the weather department’s warning on Goa.
Shivam Verma, General Manager, Royal Orchid Beach Resort & Spa, said, “There was certainly an impact of rains on tourism. Typically, hotels have around 70-75% occupancy on a weekend like Diwali. But, due to rains and IMD’s advisory, the occupancy was limited to 50-55%.”
Several tourists had also called the hoteliers to ask whether it was safe to travel to Goa last weekend. Clearly, they were anxious and some of them even thought of postponing their vacation to the November 2 weekend. Despite this, certain hotels managed to do decent business.
Bhushan Bordekar, who is a consultant with few hotels in Calangute, said, “We were sold out on October 26 and 27, which was the Diwali weekend. But prior to that, we were doing only 20% occupancy last week. Even though it was raining, people came to stay at our properties.”
