CALANGUTE
: The
shacks
have been erected and the tables and chairs are in place, but there are no
foreign tourists
lounging around for hours together, as usual. This is the scene at many beach shacks in the tourism hub of Calangute-Candolim, especially the shacks catering exclusively to foreign visitors.
With no charter or foreign tourists coming into Goa this year due to the Covid-19
pandemic
, stakeholders said that many shack owners in the affected areas have put up their shacks only out of fear that their licenses could be cancelled as per the beach shack policy. Others are hoping the government does not implement this rule as this charter tourism season has been a non-starter.
There are around 200 beach shacks licensed by
the tourism department
on the Calangute-Candolim stretch.
Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS) general secretary John Lobo said only the beach shacks at Umtawaddo, the main
Calangute beach
area, and at Baga are doing well since domestic tourists are arriving in large numbers. “Shacks in Cobravaddo, Tivaiwaddo, Gauravaddo and parts of Candolim are totally dependent on charter and foreign tourists. They are completely empty,” he said. “Owners of some shacks that are dependent on charter and foreign tourists have not even put up their shacks. Some have erected the structures, but have not started operating as there are no customers.”
Normally, thousands of charter and foreign tourists stay in resorts close to the beach and patronise these shacks which are located within walking distance of their place of stay. And since most of these areas do not have proper access to the beach, or parking facilities, domestic tourists prefer avoiding them.
Business is non-existent, says Manuel Cardozo, president of
the Traditional Shack Owners Association
, who operates a shack at Maddawaddo, Calangute. “There is not a single table today (Tuesday). Only shacks at Umtawaddo and Baga are getting business because of domestic tourists,” he said.
Almost all shack owners have paid the license fee, Cardozo said. “We’ve been compelled to pay because otherwise we don’t know if we’ll get a shack license next year,” he said. However, out of the 10 shacks in Maddawaddo, three owners have not put up the shacks even after paying the fee because there is no business, he said.
It’s a similar situation in Candolim. SOWS vice-president Seby D’Souza, who operates a shack here said the shack owners have been told by the tourism department to pay the fees by December 31 or their license will be cancelled. “They’ve all paid, but only few have put up their shacks, just for the sake of it,” he said.
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