Thomas Cook closure could hit Goa’s tourism industry

The Goa's travel and tourism sector reacted with alarm to the collapse of 178-year-old British company Thomas Cook International on Monday, even as the closure is expected to impact the upcoming tourism season in the coastal state, known for its beach tourism.

Thomas Cook, a leading package travel tourism company, alone accounts for the arrival of thousands of British tourists to Goa between the months of November to April and several hotels in the coastal state, are solely dependent on the London-based firm for bookings throughout the season.

“Goa normally receives around 35,000 travelers from the UK in the season starting from November to April. Thomas Cook flies three flights each to Goa every week during the season. In the peak season from December to March, the number of flights increases to seven a week,” A Pereira who handles Thomas Cook International charter flights in Goa told Deccan Herald.

The UK ranks second in the list of foreign charter tourist arrivals after Russians, as far as Goa is concerned. While in the 2018-19 tourism season nearly three lakh Russians visited Goa, in the same period nearly 1.5 lakh British tourists landed in the coastal state, about a third of them ferried by Thomas Cook.

President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa Savio Messias said, that the closure of the firm, will affect several hotels, apart from allied tourism-related services like transportation, restaurants, etc.

“Last year, they were getting around 2,000 passengers per week. On average, a passenger stays for around 14 days, sometimes 21 days and sometimes seven days also. If you count the number of room nights, it is very, very large,” Messias said.

“Many hotels were dependent entirely on Thomas Cook and they had built up a very good rapport. Repeat clients were coming back to the same hotels. They are going to miss out on the business,” he also said.