THE MISSING TOURIST

With international tourists unlikely to visit this year, the state is trying to attract domestic travellers—but with restrictions still in place and fearful locals not warming to the idea, it will be a hard year

- Kiran D. Tare

Goa’s famous beaches look desolate. Its vibrant nightlife, sustained by its tourists, has disappeared. The music has fallen silent and revellers are few and far between. The only thing that appears to have retained its demand even in the midst of this pandemic is alcohol, which brings its own consequences for health and safety. For Goa, a hot favourite tourist destination for domestic and international travellers alike, the loss of tourism has grave economic consequences too. According to the state’s economic survey for 201920, tourism accounted for 9-11 per cent of the state GDP (gross domestic product). Its dependence on tourism has, in fact, grown since the ban in March 2018 on iron ore mining, which used to be the largest source of revenue for the state. The ban has resulted in the state government losing annual royalties of about Rs 400 crore. Goa’s dependence on tourism is anyway higher than the national average—a 2019 report by the World Travel and Tourism Council estimated that tourism accounted for 6.8 per cent of India’s GDP that year. While the state had the highest per capita income in the country in 2019— about Rs 4.7 lakh—the slump in tourism is likely to affect incomes this year.