From the north to the south, the shores are crowded giving the impression that Goa is teeming with tourists, but this is not entirely true for the State is now a second home to many would-be tourists.
There are those who come because they have homes here; there are those who have settled here or are working from home from here; and there are those who have become permanent residents.
To the locals, all the above are part of the tourism bucket though the reality is different. For the above, Goa is not a tourist destination, but is their home.
A tourist, whether foreigner or Indian, visits to understand the ethos of the place. This is the crux of tourism.
To the locals, all the above are part of the tourism bucket though the reality is different. For the above, Goa is not a tourist destination, but is their home.
If one drives through a village and seeks directions to a particular spot, the answer could either perplex or leave the individual flummoxed, for in all probability, the person asked the query could be one of those who decided to settle here and is yet to learn the geography of the place.
Hence, the popularity of Google maps among those in tune with technology.
It is, therefore, imperative to draw the line on whether those who came, and decided to stay, should be branded as visitors or people in transition from one cultural ethos to another.
Settling is not a problem, and never has been, as evidenced in the number of people from Goa who have settled abroad before, and are settling abroad now.
The number should not be alarming because those opting to stay out are doing so because it flowers their bucket of happiness.
Settling down is not a melting pot. It takes time because this is one exercise that needs four hands to clap and sometimes all appear to be mismatches. But, they are not because all are humans and the human tendency to grow is linear.
For a few months, even during the unseasonal rains, it appeared that tourism was no more seasonal, but a year-long banquet. It is after the nuggets of who are tourists, and who are not, that the picture gets clear.
For a few months, even during the unseasonal rains, it appeared that tourism was no more seasonal, but a year-long banquet. It is after the nuggets of who are tourists, and who are not, that the picture gets clear.
Clarity is imperative because when new faces are seen, one expects the economy to bounce, the more people spend, the more robust the economy. But, we should know how much is enough.
A tourist is bound to spend because spending is part of the ride, whereas the same cannot be expected from someone dreaming of Goa as his home. The spending yardsticks are bound to be different, and consequently, the economic bounce.
And, that is when the stakeholders – some registered and some fly-by-night operators – start getting upset leading to a conflict of interest, and hence, the frequent quarrels that spill onto the road.
A tourist is bound to spend because spending is part of the ride, whereas the same cannot be expected from someone dreaming of Goa as his home. The spending yardsticks are bound to be different, and consequently, the economic bounce.
Tourism in Goa was on a nice keel before the Covid-19 pandemic, and it crashed thereafter. However, at least here, it was tourism that helped lift the gloom when the tainted curtains began to slowly open.
It was people from the trade that first began to see the benefits, and in the zeal shifted the goalposts in the fear instilled by the Pandemic. Many froze and some are still to get over it.
Fear is in the air, and as long as it so remains, spending is going to be slow and hence, the greed to make hay whilst the sun shines is going to leave many in the industry in knots.
For this not to happen, we need to think big, lay emphasis on the good, and it is easier than trying to be rich, lay emphasis on sharing and imagine and try and be tourists in our own land. Then, we would be able to look at others from a different prism.
Someone once wrote, ‘Time the destroyer is time the preserver’. Tourism should start with a different timeline for all to together smile again.