Goa is Going

On a cool, humid morning I woke up, walked out of my tent and was instantly shrouded in the tranquility of the surroundings. A wild grove of dark coconut trees stood guard, the rising sun trying to sneak through the fronds casting a glimmer of rays on the sand. Across the line of trees, a golden ribbon of clean beach gradually sloping into the sea. There was absolute silence except for the rhythmic sound of waves breaking on the docile shores of Terekhol beach. I have lived the moment and experienced this demure Goa in 1998.

Goa Beckons

I landed at Goa for the very first time in 1997 and have been returning ever since. I lived in Goa for three years from 1997 to 2000, then again from 2005 to 2010. In addition, I have visited many times on short trips for work and leisure. I am neither a historian nor a domicile, but Goa has changed drastically, and the transformation is not encouraging. A quaint, picturesque laid-back State spoilt by over-tourism, price rise and concrete. The simple pleasures of non-descript bars, frugal yet flavorful local food spoilt by multi-cuisine fares.

Sussegad

Sussegad is one word which describes the way of living in Goa. Its infectious and ubiquitous. It’s in the air. This is the feeling and experience for which hordes of national and international tourists flock to Goa. The adequate roads meandering through occasional villages or imaginatively bright coloured housing clusters interspersed with non-descript bars with aroma of fried fish and alcohol wafting in the air.

Not All Sussegad

Not everything in Goa is Sussegad. The State which was liberated from Portuguese as late as 1961 boasts a rich history. There are forts, palaces, churches and offices which were used by the Portuguese. There are old temples and unkempt ruins in distant villages which stand tall as bastions of Indian culture prevalent under the Portuguese. Goa also has forests, plains and Spice plantations which are mostly ignored by tourists for beaches and bars.

Transformation

Going back to the transformation which I have witnessed, it is important to understand what has changed. Once during an adventure in 1998 we crossed the Siolim river using a ferry (now there’s a bridge) and started walking along the line of beaches. Pristine, sparingly frequented, long stretches of beaches were separated by tall cliffs. Crossing the cliffs on goat trails one could access the beaches on the other side eventually leading to Terekhol beach. The entire stretch of beach from Candolim to Terekhol just had few foreigners, an occasional shack and very few commercial ventures. Now, Goa draws larger crowds, has witnessed rampant and non-aesthetic construction in concrete and bamboo (shacks).

The Tourist-Crowd Dichotomy

Tourism is an employer. It provides employment opportunities to a diverse spectrum of vocations. Flights, hotels, local transportation, food, beverages, handicrafts, souvenirs, experiences and all the associated support staff with or without use of Information Technology stand to gain from tourism. All of the above, require infrastructure which if unregulated can lead to saturation, shortage of resources and abuse of beauty and environment of the location. More tourists mean more profits which ironically also means more crowds. There lies the Tourist-Crowd Dichotomy. Especially post COVID, people have taken to tourism with vengeance. After all, “you only live once”. Nevertheless, it has a led a surge in demand and limited/ short supply.

Foreigners in Goa

Goa was a hippie’s abode since the 1970s and 80s. Large numbers of foreign tourists from Russia, U.K, Israel and other Eastern European countries visited Goa in hordes. There was a flurry of chartered flights carrying group after group of foreign tourists. The Foreigners bring foreign exchange and naturally spend more than an average Indian. A large number of foreigners also lived in Goa during the entire season to see off the harsh winters back home. One of the main reasons for Goa’s popularity amongst foreigners was the quiet and laid-back tropical destination where their currency could buy more. The two ongoing wars viz. Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas have also affected flights and tourism.

Rise in Indian Tourism

Habituation to weekend culture, rising salaries, growing importance of vacationing, improved roads and high-performance reliable vehicles, competitive air fares, credit cards etc have boosted tourism in India. Social media also has a strong influence in bringing about this paradigm shift. Initially, the Indian tourists preferred the off-season (monsoon) period which was profitable for local businesses. Gradually the tourists spilled over to the peak seasons as well. Indians are substantial, especially when drunk and in groups; they make their presence felt. They are boisterous, raucous and most of them leave a trail of litter behind for the government to clean. The dense crowds and their behavior is often repulsive for the foreign tourists.

Mushroom Shacks

As the footfall at Goa, of both of Indian and Foreign tourists increased, numerous shacks, some authorised and some not, mushroomed along the beaches in large numbers. Of course, it was important for livelihood and economy, but rampant unregulated rise in numbers leads to drop in quality of service, substandard food and lack of cleanliness. All of which actually are dampeners for a tourist looking to have a calm peaceful private holiday.

2023

I visited Goa in Dec 23 with my family for some personal work clubbed with holiday. The first things I noticed was the change, some good some for worse. The airport infrastructure has improved and so has the access roads to the airport. Once you start driving from the airport, the thing that visually strikes is construction work and concrete everywhere. Whilst some of it is justified like the elevated corridor which has reduced travel times between North and South Goa. However, some of them are visually ugly, poorly designed and unthoughtful.

Matter of Taste

The cuisine in Goa has also undergone change. The rise in domestic tourism in Goa has resulted in proliferation of Jain and vegetarian restaurants to cater for the domestic tourists, which were absent until a decade ago. The traditional Goan cuisine balchao, recheado, vindaloo and cafreal are rare to find but Konkani cuisine is becoming popular and desirable. The restaurants serving continental and mildly flavored food are also dwindling.

Insult to Injury

The declining numbers of foreign tourists is aggravated by rising costs and availability of competitive choices in Southeast Asian destinations abroad. The visa free/ visa on arrival policies adopted by Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia have opened avenues for Indian tourists. Indians are travelling even to Georgia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. We were staying at a resort in Candolim. Quite easily the Miami of India, the main road was almost vacant on Friday and Saturday nights in December. Empty roads and restaurants on a weekend at Candolim in Goa are indicative of the dwindling tourism in Goa.

Empty Roads and Restaurants

There were times when the road between Candolim to Anjuna and beyond use to be choc-a-block full of vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic scurrying to reach a popular place. Satirically, the tourists are either avoiding crowds or are looking for fresh destinations which offer variety for same price.

Goa is Going

On one hand the dwindling tourism would help the environment recover and persuade responsible, calm-loving tourists to reconsider Goa as a destination. On the other hand, the drop in tourism could affect livelihood and economy of the State which would incur huge losses. Goa is Going and the direction that it takes needs to be steered by the local government as well as the people. Will it lose its charm and be ignored by tourists or would some innovative ideas rejuvenate the magnificent State or is it just a year of bad business.