Goa tourism on Halt says state government- Resumption on July 15 to postpone!
Posted on July 1, 2020 by Ghoomophiro
The excitement of travelers who were dreaming of a Goa visit has come to a pause! Earlier, the state government of Goa gave a declaration about restarting tourism from July 15. However, due to rising COVID-19 cases throughout the country, they decided to not allow tourists in July.
Goa is a popular beach holiday tourist spot in India and is a hotspot for tourism in the country. After monitoring the terrible Coronavirus count in the country, Michael Lobo, Minister for Science and Technology has declared that tourist activities cannot be allowed in Goa for now.
Further, the minister stated to the leading newspaper that, “If the COVID situation does not improve, we cannot get tourists.” Besides, he added another major reason for his concern about starting up with tourism. During July, Goa is a major tourist spot for domestic tourists coming from the states of Delhi and Gurgaon.
It is well-known to everyone that the COVID count is highest in the metro cities of Mumbai and Delhi. He said that Goa has its most of the flights coming either from Mumbai or Delhi. Even if the tourist belongs to any other location, they prefer traveling from Mumbai or Delhi due to the feasibility and low fare flights.
As both these cities are struggling with a high number of Corona cases, tourist flights are not under operations. Until the flights get regular from Mumbai and Delhi, Goa cannot earn revenue from tourism in July.
Goa is a tourism Hub
Goa reaps its maximum state revenue from the tourism sector. According to the latest data, Goa’s economy is availing lucrative profits from domestic tourism itself. This indicates that even if foreign tourists do not visit Goa for a few months, it can sustain domestic tourism. Tourists visiting Goa territory from within India have gone up by 70 lakh (in 2019) from 6.8 lakh (in1985). You can figure out the drastic growth Goa witnessed in the increase in domestic tourism.
Emphasizing the scenario that people prefer avoiding travel plans for a while, Minister added; “If younger people cannot travel, how will couples travel? I cannot expect the tourism industry to start until there is a vaccine, which will take time.”
Last month Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant took the initiative of restarting tourism within a week but there are not progressions on this plan till now.
Mr. Lobo stated that Goa has already begun to get bookings for October from tourists via Russia and the UK. Goa was once declared Corona free but the positive case count is already increasing. State records 1198 confirm cases and its count is splurging.
With this scenario, if you are making any travel plans to enjoy the beaches of Goa; you might have to wait for a while until the circumstances in the country are under control.
