Goa’s Tourism Industry May Take A Hit Due To The Absence of Non-Goan Staff Claims Tourism Stakeholders

Goa’s Tourism Industry just like any other industry in Goa is dependent on the non-Goan staff and the absence of them is a clear indication of the setback to the business, claims the tourism stakeholders in Goa. 

All the non-Goans have gone back to their native places and unable to return back due to the Covid situation and according to the stakeholders of the Tourism Industry, it will affect the Businesses connected to Tourism in Goa. 

According to the reports, the non-Goan staffs are unable to return to their jobs due to the unavailability of transportation. Those of the staff that works at the beach shacks, hotels, and restaurants, even the water sports businesses are affected most due to this.  

Most stakeholders have resorted to only calling back their regular staff due to the uncertainty of this tourist season being a fail because of the pandemic. 

The Shack Owners Welfare Society’s General Secretary John Lobo has said that there are no trains for the workers to come back in. There has only been one train traveling back and forth from Odisha, Bihar, and the eastern states; and these trains are running at full capacity, booked well in advance. 

“Those from Himachal Pradesh are unable to move because there are no buses to Delhi, from where they can get a train To Goa”, Lobo stated to TOI

Since even bus services are shut down, workers from small villages are unable to reach even their nearby railway stations.

This has created lots of problems that have been added to many other existing issues such as the delay in setting up of shacks this season and international flights not being allowed to operate till the end of the year. 

However, things might start looking up for the gradually declining tourism of the state as it has recently relaxed its travel restrictions which no longer requires prior testing for COVID. 

The state has also allowed a certain number of hotels to open up, in order to give a boost to the industrial economy. This has led to an influx of domestic tourists planning for quick getaways and arriving at Goa. 

A member of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa had recently stated that this influx of domestic tourists in recent weeks will prove to be a good thing for the industry in the state. 

With the unlock happening across the country, the state may get it’s workforce back sooner rather than later.