from Special Correspondent
for Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)

Panaji, Jan 25: Indian holiday resort state of Goa has witnessed massive fall in the inbound tourists especially from UK following the visa problems back home and unexplainable increase in the hotel tariff. 

The tourism industry players are claiming the decrease to around 20 per cent and blame it squarely on overpricing of the hotels. The visa problems in the Indian High commissioner's office in UK have rubbing salt to the wound. 

"UK tourists are not coming to Goa. There is massive decrease in their number for this season," Ralf D'Souza, president, Travels and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), stated. 

The figures are worrisome for the tourism industry in Goa which contributes for the 15 per cent of state domestic product and is second highest foreign exchange revenue earner for this state on the west coast. 

What is adding to the concern is that the New Year season has already passed and almost more than half of the tourist season has fallen back. "There were no much foreign tourists for the Christmas and new year," D'Souza said.

The industry players now are looking ahead for the Easter season beginning from mid-next month to make up for loses it incurred. "We may get domestic tourists during Carnival time, but it is difficult for the foreign guests’ arrival to pick up," D'Souza admits. The Carnival begins from next month in Goa. 

The state has received 147 chartered flights from October 2007 till January 14 bringing in 44,225 guests. The figure is comparatively low as last year, 388 UK-bound chartered flights had brought in 1, 08,477 tourists in the state for the entire season. 

Tourism department figures reveal that of the total foreign tourist arrival in Goa, UK contributes for whopping 42 per cent followed by growing Russian market which is mere eight per cent. Finland stands third in the list with 7.76 per cent. 

Goa's sandy beaches which usually were full with the foreign tourists, this year, wore deserted look mostly during the New Year celebrations. 

Tour operators point out that problem in issuing visas by Indian High commissioner's office in London fuelled this crisis. "From this year onwards, Indian high commissioner had decided to outsource the issue of visas. Idea was to facilitate the issuing of visa. But when season started people were not aware about the agents as a result there were long queues outside the office. The capacity to issue visa was also reduced from 500 a day to mere 50 which caused inconvenience to many," D'Souza explained. 

The TTAG, an umbrella organization of tour operators in Goa, immediately sought Goa government's intervention to deflate the crisis. "Union foreign ministry has intervened and now the work of issuing visas has started at normal pace," he said.

Industry experts feel that it is not just a visa problem that spurred reduction in the foreign arrivals. "Goa is becoming an expensive destination. A trip to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia Srilanka and other south asian countries cost you much lesser compared to Goa," a tour operator based in Candolim, a coastal village in North Goa, stated. 

Mind-boggling packages offered by these destinations coupled with expensive air tickets to travel within India have forced the tourists to opt out for other destination.

"Majority of the tourists are repeat clients. How much of Goa will they see. They prefer to visit other destinations as we have failed to open up our hinterlands to them," he said. 

Also, increasing menace on beaches by hawkers and apathy of tourist police to curb them has added up to the reduction in tourism. 

The hotel rates in Goa have shot up by 25 per cent this year. "The hotels are contracted one year in advance. When the hotels were contracted last year, the dollar price was high. There was a crash in dollar and hoteliers have started losing forcing them to compensate the loss by hiking the tariffs," TTAG president explains. 

Initiating a movement to ensure that the troubles don't recur for the next season, the association has begun advising the hoteliers not (not) to out-price them for the next season.