Something powerful was churning and forming through the past 2 decades, this something is not stagnant, it has a mind of its own, it is constantly evolving. As of today, it is so strong and part of our everyday life that we cannot imagine getting through the day without it.
Goa stepped into 2025 battling it and continues to fight with it. The dust might have settled for now but this is a long war. One viral post about the doom of Goa got reactions from the full might of the government. It became a coffee table conversation among stakeholders and everyone who had something to do in Goa or has visited it even once. Opinions came flowing out with articles, explainers, vlog’s and podcasts. Many of them articulate and present nuance.
The government’s initial reaction was heavy handed, using the law to silence the mob, the mob grew stronger. Being a stakeholder in the tourism ecosystem of Goa, I would like to look at this as an opportunity, to course correct and strategise a destination that has been charming the world.
There is only 1 Goa. Every destination is unique in its own way. But in Goa there is a vibe and charm that in itself is its trademark much more than the architectural, cultural and culinary heritage. Goa’s biggest asset are its people, people that have a very different style of Hospitality. It is informal, honest and brings a smile to your face
It is true that some guests have not been treated appropriately in Goa, I myself am witness to many instances of rudeness by locals to the guests and this is a very complex problem of market forces, An average Goan feels an outsiders in their own villages, their quaint village life has been stereotyped and commodified to an extent that every person with a slightly deep pocket, North of Vindhyas wanted a piece of it, driving prices sky high. The human greed of cashing in on the last paddy or water view land has transformed parts of Goa to a suburb in Gudgaon.
It is also true that Goa has a serious garbage issue, it also has highly inflated pricing in some pockets and for some services. Goa has a very big infrastructure problem, its narrow roads and quaint villages remain so only for a certain number of guests, when everyone comes the same roads that are beautiful and charming become a problem. The biggest challenge that Goa faces is climate change, with the amount of money that has come in and the type of rampant construction cutting its hills and reclaiming land over water bodies for the rich man’s view is dangerous and we are all concerned about the way Goa is transforming to the next big destruction
Hope comes from a few people and organizations fighting a good fight. They fight the real problem while the whole world bickers about dropping tourist arrivals,
It is true that we are facing tough challenges in the tourism markets, competitions are arising from many beach destinations within India and in SouthEast Asia. But Goa is going nowhere because of them
https://www.terraconscious.com/
https://www.mrugayaxpeditions.com/
http://goaheritageactiongroup.org/
https://www.instagram.com/zeroposro/?hl=en
https://www.thelearningcentre.in/
And Many many more
What has worked in Goa’s favour is that it has attracted the best, creative minds from all over the country. Goa is now their home and along with the many local communities they are the first line of resistance. Here again the credit goes to the average Goan who made these creative minds feel at home the way only Goan’s can
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