PANAJI
A report compiled by KPMG Advisory Services Pvt Ltd, the agency hired by the Goa tourism ministry has quantified the financial blow inflicted on the hospitality industry by the disruptions caused due to the Covid-19 pandemic and pegged it at between Rs 2,000-crore to Rs 7,000-crore.
'Coping with COVID-19: Survival and Revival of Goa's Tourism Industry' is the report compiled by Goa's tourism ministry via the consultant who incidentally also formulated the new tourism policy adopted by the government a couple of months ago.
The report also claimed that tourism accounts for 16.43 per cent towards Goa's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). It also claims that nearly 35 per cent of the local population is engaged by the sector.
The claims in the report are made based on a survey involving 600 respondents KPMG which involved reaching out to 600 respondents and conducted to assess the economic impact of the pandemic on the industry.
In an official statement issued by the State government, it said the survey was "groundbreaking" in as much as it covered every stratum of the industry from bottom up.
"This survey was really a ground-breaking initiative as, for the first time, it covered the tourism industry in a very comprehensive manner, from upscale starred hotels to guest houses, from shacks to taxi drivers, independent guides, freelancers," the statement said.
The report also lists recommendations for the various players in the industry to survive and revive as the pandemic ebbs.
