The God separated a spirit from Himself and fashioned it into beauty. He showered upon her all the belongings of gracefulness and kindness. He gave her the cup of happiness and said, "Drink not from this cup unless you forget the past and the future, for happiness is naught but the moment."
And He also gave her a cup of sorrow and said, "Drink from this cup and you will understand the meaning of the fleeting instants of the joy of life, for sorrow ever abounds.”
– The Creation by Kahlil Gibran
With the tourism season on the cusp of starting, and with a mining start nowhere on the horizon, Goa seems to be waiting to be bewitched by the foreign tourists set to land from October 2, 2024 onwards.
Like the previous season, the Russians will be the first to land and the last to take off, but the tourists that come in between, especially the English, are the ones that traditional stakeholders will be waiting to welcome.
Like the previous season, the Russians will be the first to land and the last to take off, but the tourists that come in between, especially the English, are the ones that traditional stakeholders will be waiting to welcome.
It’s not ideal for any place to depend on just one industry for its survival as it leads to the survival of the fittest, and the end result leaves many hungry for more.
With mining out, and the government making little progress in reviving the industry within the framework set by the judiciary, it looks like the wait is going to be long and fingers will dig deeper into the tourism pie.
Tourism, after the Covid-19 pandemic has not failed, but when the focus is on the best, good and better need to be improved upon. Since the boom time, everyone went from building hotels to apartments to homestays. Now, there are so many and so few takers.
The infrastructure, when it was being built, was designed to suit the needs of the Europeans. The lifestyles of Europeans were put in pockets of kitchens, washrooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and even the façade, with many not realising that – at some point – other destinations would offer something better.
The Germans came and left, the British followed, the Swedes came and went, the Norwegians had their time, the Israelis at parties took entertainment to a different level and now, it is the turn of the Russians.
The infrastructure, when it was being built, was designed to suit the needs of the Europeans. The lifestyles of Europeans were put in pockets of kitchens, washrooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and even the façade, with many not realising that – at some point – other destinations would offer something better.
Each country is unique, and that uniqueness reflects differently on the classes of people. A billionaire from the UK is different from a German or Russian billionaire, the only constant being the billions.
The same is the story with the middle class or lower class, but they all have enough wherewithal to take a flight to Goa – to come and enjoy a vacation – which an Indian is unable because a weak rupee makes the lower class appear weakest.
Since tourism started with foreigners, a season without foreigners makes the season appear to have not started. It is the foreigner who defines tourism in any country.
Stakeholders of the tourism industry have been doing well, and some brilliantly, especially the high-end resorts because the money that wedding tourism has brought in has left many gaping.
A top end resort in South Goa crossed its target of Rs 120 crore as the New Year began – just on weddings! This is where the money is and this is what the executives are looking for.
Stakeholders of the tourism industry have been doing well, and some brilliantly, especially the high-end resorts because the money that wedding tourism has brought in has left many gaping.
However, tourism is not only about luxury resorts, but the pulse of the locals which cannot always be found in these top-end resorts, but in smaller places that have a better touch of Goa.
Tour operators are optimistic that more Europeans will come to walk on the shores of Goa this season along with the Indians who have decided to grace their matrimony on the beach.
It’s a sort of a quid pro quo that all are looking for, and most should get if the season starts on a premise that sharing is caring. Tourism has been heckled by greed, and hopefully, most will opt not to drink from the cup of sorrow.