Goa is in a churn. The pressures of tourism are transforming it so swiftly that you bat an eyelid and your milieu will change. These changes – some good and some not so good – can rattle someone who has long been smitten by Goa’s distinct charm.
Just a few years back, one could see the different moods of the sea at Miramar beach from the road as you turned your car at the roundabout. Gauging its mood, you would decide whether to park your car and venture on to the beach to feel the soft sand in your feet.
Back then, you could hear the crashing waves and seagulls, walk along the shore in solitude to hear your thoughts, perch on a washed-up tree trunk and get lost in the magic of your surroundings. Often, you could hear pleasant sounds of a bunch of volleyball players and revelling tourists in the background.
The beach was strewn with seashells, crab footprints, wet twigs and all things oceanic. And, you could never tire of watching the synchronised performance of the sea gulls.
Back then, you could hear the crashing waves and seagulls, walk along the shore in solitude to hear your thoughts, perch on a washed-up tree trunk and get lost in the magic of your surroundings.
All that has been wiped out by the waves of change. The decorative structures and installations erected at the Miramar beach have blocked the view of the sea from the road. It gives a feel of an entrance to a park with no hint of the sea beyond it.
The change on the beach is even more astounding, the sounds of crashing waves are drowned in the excited chatter and screams of tourists. The invasion of tourists has driven away the sea gulls.
The change on the beach is even more astounding, the sounds of crashing waves are drowned in the excited chatter and screams of tourists. The invasion of tourists has driven away the sea gulls.
If, at all, you get lucky, you may spot a few sea gulls during the non-tourist hours, which is shrinking by the day. As for their breathtaking shows on the beach, they don’t happen anymore.
In the age of reels and shorts, the beach has become a perfect location for a shoot. All along the shore, people are desperately trying to capture the best moments in their cameras. If you’re looking for solitude, you’re not about to find it here. And your thoughts struggle to rise above the noise around you.
The beach once littered with treasures spat out by the sea now resembles a dumping ground for garbage with bottles, plastic bags and other tourist castaways. It’s the same beach but it feels different.
This is the kind of metamorphosis taking place everywhere in the State and altering its DNA. It’s being brought about by the changing tourist profile and dictated by their needs.
This is the kind of metamorphosis taking place everywhere in the State and altering its DNA. It’s being brought about by the changing tourist profile and dictated by their needs.
For the Western tourists of the yore, Goa was all about getting away from the buzz and hustle of the city life or just escaping the bitter cold and lounging around on Goa’s sunny beaches. Most flew in by chartered flights, stayed at hotels or lodges and hung out at the shacks.
Their stays were longer and they spent in foreign currencies, shoring up the State’s forex earning. So, despite lower tourist inflow, Goa’s tourism generated comparatively higher tourism revenue. Today’s new breed of tourists, largely domestic, have turned that scenario on its head.
For most domestic tourists heading to the coastal state, Goa is about letting their hair down on the beach, drinking or gambling. A lot of them arrive by buses and trains. They come in hordes and flock the beaches and other tourist venues. Many of them lack civic sense and since they move around in large groups, it is difficult to regulate them.
There’s another lot of entitled domestic tourists, which flies in to splurge but does not care for the laws and rules of the State. They are equally apathetic to Goa’s environment and culture.
There’s another lot of entitled domestic tourists, which flies in to splurge but does not care for the laws and rules of the State. They are equally apathetic to Goa’s environment and culture.
Since Goa is now attracting more tourists from within the country, who spend in Indian currency and stay for shorter duration, it needs higher number of them to generate the same tourism revenue as before.
This phenomenon started occurring post Covid-19 pandemic, when the steadily rising domestic tourist numbers helped the State meet the shortfall in tourism revenue.
And this trend is continuing even today and changing Goa’s beaches, streets, villages and every aspect of it. All this is giving birth to a new Goa as a bit of yesterday’s Goa dies every day.