Vaccination, More COVID-19 Relaxations Give Renewed Hope For Goa's Tourism Sector

Earlier this week, the Goa government had said that the state had achieved 100 per cent Covid vaccination of adults with the first dose and set a target of October 31 to complete the second dose.

This is good news for the state's struggling tourism industry which has been devastated by the pandemic since 2020.

Goa had reopened for tourists from other states since early last month, but with restrictions, including entry of travellers who are fully-vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival.

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At its peak before COVID-19, nearly eight million tourists visited the state annually, but the pandemic and the subsequent restrictions on travel and Covid-related protocols have led to tourist footfalls taking a hit.

The beach state is eyeing to complete vaccination for all eligible people just around when the tourism season starts.

More relaxations are also likely to be announced by then, which is giving hope for the industry.

Beach shacks are one of the key businesses that spring up in Goa during the season.

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On Thursday, the state cabinet cleared a proposal to halve the annual beach shack licence fee of Rs 1 lakh to help tide over the state's shack owners through the pandemic-hit times, which has seen a sharp dip in tourist traffic.

Goa's 105-km-long coastline has around 400 beach shacks dotting the coastal sandy stretches.

Since last year, shack owners who get annual licences for it had been struggling as their income mostly depended on foreign tourists.

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This time too there will not be foreign tourists, but beach shack operators hope that the footfall of domestic visitors will increase in the coming days.

"The numbers are yet to pick up. Maybe if the government allows re-opening of more tourist avenues, then more tourists will come. But it all depends on the Covid situation and protocol which will have to be followed," All Goa Shack Owners Welfare Society President Cruz Cardoso said.

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According to Travel and Tourism Association of Goa President Nilesh Shah, the immediate future of the tourism industry in Goa depend on what turn the Covid situation in the country eventually takes.

"A lot of verticals like casinos, watersports, river cruises, spas, and nightclubs continue to remain closed as part of Covid restrictions. Depending on the situation over the next few weeks, if the government relaxes some of these restrictions we could see an uptick in tourism," he said.