In Goa, there is a gung-ho atmosphere to commence monsoon tourism and, in this regard, various stakeholders need to promote a 20-week themed campaign. Each week would highlight different aspects of Goa. There would be attractive offers and package deals from hoteliers and airlines (why not from railways?). More than five decades back, tourists used to come (not in hordes as during the off-monsoon) to marvel at the lush green hills and waterfalls, watch the roaring sea waves and walk around to get drenched to the skin. Some preferred to be cooped up in hotel rooms and enjoy food and drinks while watching the rains.
Considering the many developments and attempts to make Goa’s cities and towns smart, much of the magic of the monsoon has disappeared. Now it is more of a havoc – uprooted trees, snapped electricity and internet cables lying on the ground, clogged drains, flooding, potholed roads, beaches awash with rubbish etc. Under the changed circumstances, monsoon tourism could offer visitors the chance to participate in fun activities and win prizes. The events could include measuring potholes, canoeing and white-water rafting along flooded roads, collecting the maximum number of biodegradable trash, guessing the depth of flooded roads, counting ‘waterfalls’ from flyovers that have no pipelines to discharge water to the ground, and many more time-pass and pass-time games. Come, enjoy monsoon mayhem in Goa.
