We are paying for being so lax

With the number of COVID cases and deaths rising every day, Goa could be looking at another lockdown. But Serafino Cota, President, Small & Medium Hotels Associations, says that the state government along with the travel trade brought this problem upon themselves.

Hazel Jain

The state had become a holiday paradise – an escape for whoever wanted to get away from the boredom of cities. But Goa is now paying for the swift business it did through rising COVID cases and deaths. Not one to mince words, Serafino Cota, President, Small & Medium Hotels Associations, says that just until a month ago, some hotels had started doing good business.

“Then all of a sudden, cases started increasing in Goa which has led to a complete shutdown. To be honest, some of my colleagues were happy with the little business they were starting to get. But that was bad for Goa and its people, and Goa should not allow that. I don’t want to sound rude, but I have been saying this for some time – opening up the state to all and sundry will be very expensive for us. And we are now paying for it. We were allowing people to enter Goa even without a COVID-negative certificate nor checking them at any of the entry points – whether airports, roads or railways. We got greedy for business,” he says. The Goa government imposed additional restrictions till May 10 as COVID numbers surge, with a possibility of extending it further.

He believes that Goa hotels would have done better business, if not the same, had all the stakeholders asked tourists for COVID-negative certificates. “In fact, we would have received better and high-value tourists. Goa offered this as a selling point –not asking for certificates. I would argue with my CM that Goa asking for COVID health certificates could have been a better selling point. This would have ensured that Goa is a ‘Safe Destination’ and the people who are coming in will also be safe. So they know that no one with COVID or COVID symptoms will be allowed to enter the state. If these measures were in place, Goa would have had a better image today,” Cota adds.

Lapse of judgement

Cota is also upset that many people had been coming to Goa not just to holiday but to spend their quarantine days after testing positive.

“Their thought process was better to have COVID in Goa than anywhere else. Moreover, all our offshore casinos have also been responsible for spreading the infection. The Goa government allowed them to remain open even though they were crowded and most of their staff got it. I have voiced my concern about this, requesting the government to at least vaccinate the casino staff on priority. But nothing has been done so far. The virus is spreading like wildfire in Goa,” he says worriedly.

“I apologise to fellow Goans and the trade. This problem came through tourism and we are its stakeholders so we have to take the responsibility of keeping our citizens safe. The government was looking at it as business. But it could not achieve the quality of tourists who will pay GST and taxes. Most of them were staying in rented places – second homes – in the disorganised sector. It didn’t benefit the industry nor the state government. I would like to know from the government how much GST did it earn through room occupancies and on alcohol as far as table service in bars and restaurants is concerned.  I bet you nothing! The government should realise that there is no revenue; it is just additional burden on the state,” Cota says.

He suggests that Goa needs a change of image. “We need to make it a ‘safe’ destination at least by December 2021. After making it safe, we need to promote it as a ‘Safe’ destination, ask tourists to book only registered hotels so that every case can be tracked and traced, and ramp up our vaccination drive. Everything needs to be controlled – from entry points to hotels. That is the only way safe tourism can start,” Cota adds.