Tourism season yet to KICK-OFF in South Goa

Goemkarponn desk
MARGAO: The Goa government has just started allowing tourists with strict checking and other Covid norms. A large number of tourists have started coming to Goa these days.
The famous Goan beaches have started witnessing the crowd, but there is very less crowd on South Goa beaches than North.
One of the reasons may be that the North have good nightlife and casinos, while South Goa coastal people are still suffering like last year.
The season was almost zero.
The tourism stakeholders from South Goa are praying for a good season this year.
The stakeholders have demanded that the government waive the license fee, and in principle, the department has agreed to that.
Those dependent on watersports had no business in South Goa last year due to the Covid pandemic and lockdown.
This year till now, they have not got permission from the department to start the business.
Many Indian tourists are coming to Goa, but the department has not given permission for the Watersports; as a result, they are losing their business.
Watersports owner Paulo told Goemkarponn that they have paid all fees to the Captain of Ports and Fisheries department.
“We got all necessary permission from both departments, but still Tourism Department has not given us permission they have taken our application kept on hold. The Watersports business in North Goa has started why two different rules for North and South,” he asked.
He said they had no business last year, even after investing a considerable amount by taking a loan.
“The amount of interest is increasing day by day. I request the government to give us nessasery permission to start our business,” said Menino Fernandes.
Satano Pereira said the government has given permission to start casinos and night clubs then why not Watersports?
“Right now, most of the hotels from the South are full of domestic tourists. We are losing our business,” he said.
Tourists had to face hardship as there were no toilets and changing rooms on beaches in Salcete. But now the Goa Tourist Development Corporation has built toilets and changing rooms on all these beaches, and recently these facilities have been opened for tourists.
The well-known Colva beach, also known as Silver Sand, attracts millions of tourists every year. However, due to the lack of facilities like toilets & changing rooms, the beach has reduced tourists.
The construction of facilities at Colva is underway, and it will be completed very soon under Goa Tourism Development Corporation.
The work of construction of toilets and changing rooms at Sernabatim, Varca, Mobor and Cavelossim beaches was started two years ago by the Goa Tourist Development Corporation.
However, due to the COVID 19 pandemic and lockdown, the work got delayed due to labour and construction material shortages.
But now, the work has been completed, and the department has also appointed an agency to monitor the tourism department’s maintenance information officials.
Due to the unavailability of toilets and changing rooms, Watersports operators and the shack owners have to suffer.
Earlier, there were toilets at few beaches, but they were in unusable condition due to lack of maintenance.
The director of tourism has assured that the facilities set up at the beach will be maintained.
The Goa Shack Owner Welfare Association president, Cruz Cardozo, thanked the tourism department for building toilets and changing rooms at the different beaches in Salscet taluka.
He also thanked the department for constructing parking plots at Benaulim and Colva beach; this will help and benefit the tourist as well as the owner of the shack, he added.