the goan I network
PANAJI
Though the tourism season has set in, it’s surprising that no company or organiser so far has approached the Tourism Department seeking permission for hosting the annual electronic dance music (EDM) festival in the state.
Until a few years ago, both the music festivals -- Sunburn and Supersonic -- used to be staged happen in Goa during the year-end, which would have hordes of domestic tourists and also few foreign travellers rushing to the State.
However, it now seems that the organisers such EDMs are avoiding Goa as a location.
A source from the Tourism Department said, “As of now, no one has approached us for permission. We have asked them to tell us at least three months in advance if they intend to host any EDM related in Goa. This is because in three months time we get to analyse if an EDM can be staged or not.”
The most preferred days for EDMs - between Christmas and New Year’s Eve when Goa is packed with tourists - are just over two months away. If organisers of EDMs haven’t approached the government so far for permission, chances are slim that they will do so now.
A source from tourism industry, on the condition of anonymity, said, “The cost of organising an EDM in Goa is very high for an organiser. The charges of police, fire department, tourism department and other departments are way too high. Due to this, an organiser would find it very difficult to make profit on an EDM.”
During the last decade, even though Goa became a preferred destination for EDMs, the organisers and the State Government had several issues.
For example: In 2016, Percept Live had claimed that the State Government owed it Rs 6 crore while the government had claimed that Percept Live had to clear all the arrears. On few other occasions as well, such allegations and counter-allegations had surfaced in the past.
