the goan I network
MARGAO
News of the reported collapse of the tour company Thomas Cook sent shivers down the spine of the tourism stakeholders, including small hoteliers along Salcete coast, with many a hotelier saying the government should step in and stop the damage to the industry.
With the small hoteliers along Salcete coast playing host to British visitors, the stakeholders feel that immediate government intervention can save the day for the tourism industry.
Small hotelier and President of the Small Hoteliers Association, Serafino Cota said the news will cast a shadow on the tourism industry unless steps are initiated to contain the damage. “Many small hotels have been surviving with tourists coming from the UK. What we have heard today is bad news,” Serafino said.
Cavelossim-based small hotelier Edwin Barretto told The Goan that the news of the collapse of Thomas Cook has rung in bad news for the industry. He claimed that around 30 UK visitors have cancelled the rooms booked in his hotel.
To a question, Edwin said the government should immediately intervene and salvage the situation for the hotel industry. “The government action should be immediate. An announcement of a package to bring the visitors to Goa can salvage the situation for the hoteliers,” Edwin added.
Another Cavelossim-based small hotelier Dixon Vaz said the emerging news is not a good sign for the coming tourist season. “Goa gets a lot of British tourist every year and are regular visitors to my hotel,” he said, adding that the tourism stakeholders will face a very challenging time in the ensuing season.
Saying that UK tourists are the backbone of Goa’s tourism industry, Dixon said the latest reports is a serious matter with uncertainty over Brexit and the beach shack issue.
In fact, after receiving the news, Dixon claimed that he received a few cancellations within 24 hours and is expecting more in the coming days.
A regular visitor Keith has said that he hopes that some other charter airlines will take over or replace with other companies. “It’s a big mess’, Keith, a regular visitor from UK who had been visiting Goa for the past 15 years, who added, ‘will not get refund nor we are not in a position to book on other airlines cause of the high costs’.
Another visitor Tracy Stephenson tweeted: “We can’t re-book until we get a refund. “If we get one and there are no flights for our dates, we are bound by school holidays, Christmas is cancelled.”
