Come November-December, it would be hard to spot an Indian among the thousands of foreigners who pack the beach shacks and restaurants across the North Goa tourist coast. Statistics though, paint a despondent picture for the growth of international arrivals to Goa.
“While India has notched a phenomenal 47.9 per cent rise in tourist traffic in the last five years, Goa has not matched up, recording a modest 15.4 per cent growth in foreign arrivals (21 per cent short of projected figures)”, says the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
This has happened despite its aggressive marketing abroad and adequate room capacity. Nearly 62 per cent of Goa’s Rs 122 crore tourism budget went on advertising and publicity in the last 5 years and it has run TV promotional slots on Star Plus and BBC.
A more realistic assessment suggests that Goa’s burgeoning domestic market and its enormous pressure on the state’s infrastructure could well be “squeezing out” the international market.
From 2001 to 2005, domestic tourist arrivals to Goa overshot projections by 57 per cent and rose from 1.38 million to 2.3 million. Foreign arrivals increased from 2.6 lakh to only 3.37 lakh.
Travel agents here said the pressure of the domestic market in peak season and the shortage of rooms had compelled the cancellation of a large number of bookings from Russia in early January this year.
CAG criticised Goa government for not creating a high level decision-making body for planning, development and marketing of tourism and the state’s poor handling of safety for tourists. Two hundred and fourteen persons drowned in Goa’s beaches between 2001-05. Only 77 lifeguards have, while 170 are required, according to the government assessment.