Goa8217;s monsoon blues

With a low budget and expectations to match, the couple are not exactly disappointed with Goa in the rains. It is too bad if they have to wade through ankle-deep rain water to just cross the road.

Despite hefty reductions in hotel tariffs and high-profile advertising campaigns by the Goa Government in the international media, foreign tourist arrivals during the four monsoonmonths when Goa is at its best, is much lower than during the peak December-January season.

For instance, in 1997, foreign tourist arrivals during July were just 2,893 visitors against 40,836 visitors in January l997. On the other hand, foreign tourist arrivals for all of India amounted to 184,324 and 240,569 visitors in July and January l997 respectively. In other words, Goa suffers a drop of 90 per cent during the monsoon against a 25 per cent drop for the entire country.

8220;Foreign holiday-makers are not interested in visiting Goa as they are attracted by fair weather. Hence we are targeting Indian clients right now,8221; says Elizabeth Shakleton, Hospitality Manager, Cidade de Goa. Other hotel owners and even the State Government are looking at domestic tourists and hitherto unexplored markets to fill up Goa8217;s hotel rooms.

8220;We are organising tourism and travel fairs in Ahmedabad and Calcutta as these are our biggest domestic markets,8221; says V.D. Kamat, Director, Tourism, Goa. The State Government isalso participating in the Arabian Travel Mart, Dubai, and the African Travel Mart, Johannesburg, South Africa. These emerging markets accounted for 19 per cent of foreign tourist arrivals in l997.

However, international tourist arrivals during the monsoon will not pick up until foreign charter operators, who ferry in budget tourists, are persuaded to adopt wet Goa as a destination, according to travel trade circles. They say the Government is promoting only its beaches while neglecting environmental and adventure tourists.

8220;There are no man-made trekking trails in the Mollem sanctuary and the Castle rock sections of the Western Ghats to attract trekkers and hikers,8221; says Dwaraknath Row, president, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa TTAG.The natural trails become slushy and are inaccessible during the rains. Tour operators are also pressing the Government to promote religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and the colourful Sao Joao festival on the lines of the Pune festival.

With practically nobusiness during the monsoon months, accusing fingers are being pointed at both the Central and State governments for milking Goa8217;s tourism boom for all it is worth while giving nothing in return. 8220;The Central and state governments collect Rs 500 crore and Rs 100 crore respectively by way of taxes from Goa but plough back only Rs 3.5 crore by way of promoting tourism in the State,8221; says a TTAG representative.

State Government officials, however, pass the buck to the Centre for the mess. According to them, a masterplan to promote tourism all over the State, particularly its interiors, has been hanging fire with the Central government for many years.

Attempts by the State Government to promote Goa during the rains have not been successful either. The much publicised Raindrops8217; campaign, which was kicked off in l987, has ground to a halt. From a budget of Rs 3 lakh two years ago, it was slashed to Rs 50,000 last year and finally suspended entirely this year. 8220;Our main purpose was to create awareness ofGoa as a destination in the monsoon. Now, with the hotel trade itself promoting their monsoon packages, we are taking a break,8221; says Kamat. The State Government is now selling the concept through travel agents, he adds.

With the high-spending European tourist staying away, Indian visitors to Goa are reaping a discount bonanza as hotels pare down tariffs to a bare minimum.8220;We promote Goa among Indians right now,8221; says Shakleton, whose hotel registered a 40-per cent occupancy in June. The strategy of star hotels, says Row, is to provide all facilities under one roof at a fraction of the peak season tariff. 8220;The monsoons are the only time when middle-class Indian families can afford to stay at the Taj Aguada hotel,8221; notes Kamat. The tariff for one room at this prestigious hotel is around Rs 3,000 during the off-season against nearly Rs 9,000 in December-January.

Down the line, a number of beach resorts offer double rooms for as little as Rs 400 a night. More basic bed and board affairs charge as littleas Rs 100 per night. 8220;It is a buyer8217;s market,8221; says Kamat.

Though most of the hole-in-the-wall hotel operators shut shop during the rains and lay off workers, three- and five-star hotels hog the affluent Indian visitors. The State is also being perceived as a romantic getaway by weekend visitors from nearby Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, according to the travel trade. According to the State Government, domestic travellers for the entire four-month period increased from 208,628 visitors in l990 to 242,300 in l997.