Minister: Goa’s tourism model needs relook

Panaji: Amid growing complaints about an oversupply of rooms and increasing competition from other international destinations, tourism minister Rohan Khaunte has called for a comprehensive correction in the state’s tourism model. He warned that high hotel tariffs and soaring airfares made Goa an expensive destination, prompting Indian travellers to opt for cheaper international alternatives like Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
Khaunte told reporters that A and B category hotels were asked to rework their pricing and marketing strategies, with a focus on encouraging monsoon tourism, MICE, and group packages.
Highlighting concerns from smaller hoteliers, Khaunte said that C and D category hotels were struggling to survive amid growing competition from unregulated villas, apartments, and gated complexes. “We will meet with online travel aggregators like Airbnb to examine the inventory of such accommodations. If required, we will review and withdraw permissions for some time to ensure hotels get sufficient business,” he said.
The minister also flagged stray dogs, cattle, and errant taxis as chronic issues hurting the tourist experience. “Sterilisation is not the solution to the dog menace. They need to be removed from the beaches. We will meet with the CM and the animal husbandry department to finalise a plan,” he said.
Despite current challenges, Khaunte expressed optimism about the upcoming monsoon season. He said Goa was expecting a surge in visitors from the Middle East and projected that Russian tourist numbers would double in the coming season.
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Cops intensify patrolling along North Goa coast
Calangute: The tourist police unit (TPU) has intensified patrolling along the coast from Baga to Sinquerim after a six-year-old drowned at Baga. The TPU had begun regularly patrolling beaches after violent incidents involving tourists in shacks last Dec.
“A large number of tourists visiting Baga and Calangute continue to enjoy themselves on the beach after sundown (when the lifeguards go off duty). At times, due to the negligence of the parents, the children go into the water to bathe and play, putting their lives at risk,” a TPU staffer said.
According to a lifeguard, a major issue arises during peak times as tourists refuse to heed warnings against swimming in ‘no-swim zones’. It is dangerous to swim after consuming alcohol, but many tourists go to the sea drunk and endanger, themselves,” said a lifeguard. TNN