Goa’s tourism actions should resume after whole vaccination: Minister

Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said Tuesday that tourism activities should not resume until the entire population of the coastal state is fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

While the Goa government has allowed hotels to operate, restaurants and other tourism-related activities have been closed due to the curfew that began in the state on May 9, when the Covid-19 cases peaked.

Speaking to PTI, the minister said that only tourists who are “fully vaccinated” are allowed to enter the state.

“We cannot keep Goa’s tourism industry closed forever as it is an important backbone of our state’s economy,” said Ajgaonkar.

Reading | Goa is extending the Covid-19 curfew until June 14 with relaxations

The tourism industry can resume all of its activities once the entire population of the state is “fully vaccinated” with both doses of the vaccines, he said.

The state should also be cautious about opening up to tourists by only allowing entry to visitors who have taken both doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, the minister said.

“Once tourism is fully resumed in Goa, the state will run an intense media campaign and invite local tourists here,” he said, adding that the industry needs to regain its former glory as it has suffered losses due to the pandemic.

In the case of international travelers, Ajgaonkar said, the state must depend on the centre’s decision to resume charter flights.

Meanwhile, the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) is hoping to resume tourism soon to minimize its losses.

The state-owned special purpose vehicle has since operated 13 hotel properties, mostly in the coastal belt, to supply tourists.

The company has suffered “historic losses” for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said GTDC managing director Nikhil Desai.

“We are hoping that the tourism industry will resume soon as the last two years have been a disaster for us,” he said.

Few of the residences (hotels) operated by the company were closed during the pandemic while staff were used on other duties, the official said.

“At least during the last lockdown, the state government took over some of our residences to set up quarantine centers. But this time there was no occupancy, ”said Desai.

The group was burdened with financial losses, as it had to pay salaries of around 400 employees in addition to liabilities such as pensions for former employees, he said.

The exact amount of losses in the last fiscal year will be quantified over the next few months, but the losses are certainly enormous, the official added.