Sun, surf, and sand have come to a close in Goa, but only for two months — until the end of monsoon. Hotels and eateries have downed their shutters, and tourist activity has been restricted to a bare minimum.
Sun, surf, and sand have come to a close in Goa, but only for two months — until the end of monsoon. Hotels and eateries have downed their shutters, and tourist activity has been restricted to a bare minimum. The beach paradise has completed yet another successful season, serving and entertaining tourists around the world.
However, some cost-conscious holidayers, who visited Goa during the season, did not have a good time. These tourists have harboured ill will towards the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), for a good reason, or rather two.
The travellers, hoping to have a memorable, yet affordable, holiday experience, were taken aback when they saw the rate cards of the ‘reasonably priced resorts’ promoted by GTDC. It was more than double of what they thought it would be.
After recovering from the shock of hefty price tags, when the tourists decided to compromise by booking an accommodation, they found to their dismay that there were no rooms available.
The reason: Government officials from different states occupied the entire facility.
Ideally, officials who come on duty to Goa are supposed to stay at the hotels near the secretariat in Panaji. However, these men choose to ignore the rule and stay in a GTDC resort instead, thus depriving the common man of the facility. A glimpse of the guest reservation ledger is proof enough of this preferential treatment.
Joaquim Alvares, a resident of Thane, wanted to take his family out on a holiday to Goa. He had booked an accommodation in Calangute Residency. Unfortunately, things went haywire when he went there. “I once booked a double room for my family in Calangute Residency. The manager promised to reserve the room in my name. But when we got there, he was handing over our room keys to an official from the revenue department of Belgaum,” said Alvares.
An official at the Calangute Residency, on conditions of anonymity, said that the staff was helpless. “We are unable to give accommodation to budget travellers as our rates have been fixed by the corporation. As a result, tourists opt for private hotels and resorts, who charge less than 60% of our charges” he said. “Believe me, I am not happy about this pricing pattern myself,” he said.
Even the people of Goa are not happy with GTDC’s bureaucratic attitude, “They lack concern for tourists. Just because their services are well protected by the government, they have become thick-skinned. Besides Miramar Residency, other resorts are not maintained well,” said Ramesh Calangutekar, a travel agent.
Lack of accommodation and high-price tags have forced tourists to opt for private accommodations. Walter D’Souza, owner of Casa Leyla in Calangute, said, “Many tourists come to me and complain about GTDC’s hefty rate cards. Fortunately, our tariff works out well for these tourists. From January to June, GTDC charges nothing less than Rs3,500 per day for a double-bed accommodation. During the peak season, the charges go up by 40%, making it completely unaffordable for a price-conscious traveller.”
“Government facilities should be made available at an affordable cost, while private facilities can impose high charges. But here, things are topsy-turvy,” said James Cardoza, owner of Bambelo, an eatery in Mapusa.
GTDC officials at Panaji, on the other hand, are keeping a stiff upper lip about the high tariff as well as the irregularities in the facility.
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