Tags:
Journalism of Courage
What do Viagra sales have to do with December 31? On the sun- and feni-drenched coastal strip where beach parties are hardwork, the question is out of place.
Rediscovered by the jet set, overrun by tourists, Goa is receiving a flood of pleasure-seekers looking to combine the sentiment of a New Year celebration with the sheer thrill of skinny-dipping.
Whether it8217;s the idea of a Bacardi under a palm tree or swaying to Come Into My World on the sands, the tourism industry is making it all happen. The top DJs are in town, hotels are packed tariffs have shot up 30 per cent, flights are full and trains are choc-a-bloc with tourists hurtling down towards Panaji.
8216;8216;There is not a single room vacant in Goa. The hotel industry is doing very good business this year,8217;8217; said N. Suryanarayan, State Director of Tourism. 8216;8216;Some guests are walking in for a room with recommendations from ministers,8217;8217; said a hotelier.
The hottest action is along beaches on the famed Baga-Calangute-Candolim belt in north Goa and the Colva belt in south Goa. Of course, India8217;s A-list will be making tracks to liquor baron Vijay Mallya8217;s famed Kingfisher villa at Candolim, which will see celebrities flown in for the action on special aircraft. Mallya8217;s neighbour, industrialist Dattaraj Salgaocar and his wife Deepti, will also keep an open house.
Liquor consumption is expected to shoot up more than four times this single week. Viagra and its clones are selling on SMS requests.
Predictably, residents would rather be some place else or stay away from the madding crowd to spend a quiet evening at home. 8216;8216;I want to celebrate New Year8217;s Eve quietly with my close friends,8217;8217; singer Remo Fernandes told The Indian Express.
