Hit by a 20% slump in arrivals, the New Year party ended in a damp squib for thousands of hotels and tourism stakeholders in Goa this season.
“For the first time in a decade, there were rooms available on Christmas week,” says Travel and Tourism Association of Goa president Ralph De Souza. From 110 per cent bookings in end-2006, occupancy in hotels along the North Goa coast was down to 90% this Christmas. In South and interior Goa, hotels were struggling to touch 70% occupancy.
The confusion over visa processing in India’s High Commission in London, overpriced accommodation and air fares and the anti-SEZ agitation all combined for a negative impact on Goa’s tourism industry.
Charters from the UK registered a drop of nearly 10% because of the visa problem. “There was a perceptible slump in foreign arrivals in December,” says De Souza.
Stakeholders admit that Goa is being increasingly perceived as an overpriced destination. A deluxe resort room here was pegged at $600 a night, and snooty five-star room tagged a $200 supplement per person over and above the regular tariff. Malaysia and Thailand in comparison were offering rooms in the same category at half the price.
