India

Goa tourism association urges chief minister to restart tourism

Goa taj hotel

The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has urged Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to not further delay restarting tourism in the State. 

A delegation of the TTAG met the Chief Minister on Tuesday with a letter requesting to unlock the tourism industry that has been shut due to COVID-19 induced lockdown. They claimed that closure of the tourism sector has severely impacted the stakeholders. 

“Closures of all the hotels, restaurants and bars on account of COVID-19 and the closures have continued from March 2020 till now but it cannot remain closed for a much longer period as there will be substantial job losses and even more substantial revenue for the State,” it said. 

The delegation headed by TTAG President Nilesh Shah further said that resuming tourism with the guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) will help the stakeholders come over the difficult financial crisis. 

“Any further delay will be a disaster for Goa in all aspects,” he said. 

The delegation also claimed that local villagers, taxi drivers, milk men, vegetable vendors, fish vendors, local shops and even the smallest self-employed individuals have been inquiring about resumption of tourism.