In Goa, it’s more the merrier for the tourism industry

Tourism is an industry, and it must be treated that way instead of letting the insider-outsider emotion be its thrust. And, going by the recent declaration that the Taj Group will be adding another property in Anjuna to its holdings in Goa, the sun is shining on the industry.

That Taj has decided to develop a property in Anjuna should gladden stakeholders in the industry and not make them fear that tourists are slipping away from Goa to other countries.

Tourism is about discovering and there is nothing wrong, or there is nothing that can stop a tourist from wanting to see something new, and hence, they will choose to visit different countries.

Stakeholders have been complaining that international tourists are now discovering other Asian countries, and some of the reasons attributed to these choices are – free visa or visa on arrival, cheaper destinations, etc.

Any tourist destination is at its best when it is virgin, and this truth holds true everywhere. Once the footfalls increase, there is disquiet, as has been happening in parts of Italy, and protests manifest in different ways.

If not in clear terms, the protests in Italian cities are also on the lines of 'outsiders versus locals.' And, like in most such places, the residents have suddenly started to feel vulnerable. Presumably, this is a common thread.

Tourism has been on a tight rope walk in Goa since the Covid-19 pandemic. Like the Pandemic, we have seen many strains of tourism or have conceived different paths that the industry will be taking.

Much of the forethought could have been based on the fear that the pandemic struck all in the beginning. Back then, nobody knew the way forward, or we were at least made to believe that we should not think forward and let others do the thinking for us – read 'scientific minds'.

In the bargain, with the tourism industry being the first to open up, or being the first to place bread on many plates in the State, there has been disquiet in the last few years with some betting on foreign tourists and others on our own Indian bread and butter.

In the melee, the melody, where do we begin, floated in the air and many opted to find solace with Dr Zhivago. We are in the third year after the pandemic and many have already forgotten, or are in the process of forgetting, the past.

And, the truth is befalling us. The simple truth is that, wherever tourists opt to go, Goa will continue as a tourist hub, not just for a few years, but for years to come. And, the Taj starting a new hotel is proof of a tasty pudding being cooked to be refrigerated for long.

To newcomers, the Taj project is going to be around the place that many years ago, a person called Jeh Wadia, was to have the millennium party, only to be stopped by the High Court of Bombay at Goa. Those memories relive beautiful views of the sea.

That the company has decided to flower in Anjuna is an indication that the village and the villagers could well expect better days where emphasis will be on familial ties than on things that tear families apart, because the Taj brand is clean.

Taj, through years in the industry, has built a reputation for all things good and familial. People who inhabit Taj are people who know life.

That the brand has decided to make Anjuna another home is an indication that they see well in the place, and this is what Anjuna is waiting for.

With the Taj group expanding, other brands will attempt to float in with other seeds, it will surely be more the merrier for tourism in Goa.