Goa’s tourism may face a double whammy this season

Goa’s tourism prospects for the upcoming season could face a double whammy this year. with the closure of global travel giant Thomas Cook and the uncertainty over setting up of popular beach shacks on the state’s beaches.

On Tuesday, both Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar conceded that the closure of Thomas Cook, whose popular holiday packages saw thousands of UK nationals visiting Goa annually, would have an impact on the fortunes of tourism in Goa.

“Thomas Cook gave us good service over the years. Because of them, a lot of tourists from the UK used to visit Goa. The sudden closure will have some impact on Goa Tourism,” Ajgaonkar told DH on Tuesday.

At the time of closure on Monday, more than 17,000 British tourists were scheduled to land in Goa during the upcoming tourism season, which begins in October and lasts till March.

Acknowledging the significance of the development, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the Goa government was in touch with Thomas Cook’s peer companies to try and make up for the loss of tourists this season.

There is also continuing uncertainty about the presence popular shacks on Goa’s beaches, after the National Green Tribunal asked the state government to stop granting licenses until it formalises its Coastal Zone Management plan.

Sawant, on Tuesday said that the Goa government would seek relief from the Tribunal to allow the setting up of beach shacks, even as Congress spokesperson Tulio de Souza said, that the absence of beach shacks would impact Goa’s tourism prospects further.

“Without shacks, there will be fewer tourists in Goa. The government’s failure to come up with a Coastal Zone Management plan in a timely fashion has resulted in the beach shack operators facing this predicament,” de Souza said.