January: Known for its tourism hotspot, Goa tourism industry this time might have suffered a heavy loss of Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 7,000 crore, an official report claims. The report titled Coping with COVID-19: Survival and Revival of Goa’s Tourism Industry was compiled by Goa Tourism Ministry and the consultancy firm KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. The report also claimed that the job losses were in the range of 35% to 58% amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Mentioning about the tourism industry’s contribution, the drafted report said that the tourism industry directly contributes 16.43% towards the state GDP. Also, approximately 35% of the state population is employed by the tourism sector only. With such large percentages, covid has clearly impacted the whole state, its employment, tourism, and state’s GDP performance as well. The report witnessed responses from 600 respondents as it was conducted by KPMG and Goa Tourism Ministry.
The Goan government issued a statement quoting, “This survey was really a ground-breaking initiative as, for the first time, it covered the tourism industry in a very comprehensive manner, from upscale starred hotels to guest houses, from shacks to taxi drivers, independent guides, freelancers, etc.” The statement further added that the data collected by the survey will be utilised to solve the challenges thrown by the pandemic.
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The overall objective of this study was aimed at examining the impact of the highly contagious virus on Goan state’s tourism industry. The report also offers recommendations allowing tourism stakeholders to survive, revive and thrive.
