Goa-Grim tourism season on further decline

Grim tourism season on further decline
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Hardly two months into the tourism season and reports reveal that cancellation of charter flights has touched 20% and the number of charter tourists visiting Goa is down 40%.
The September estimates had foreseen the arrival of about 40 charter flights a week to Goa for the current season, but revised estimates have reduced this to 32 flights a week.
“About 20% of the 656 charter flights estimated to arrive in Goa have been cancelled. The trend shows a definite decline in tourist arrivals as most flights are landing with 20 to 30% of their seats empty even in the last week of November. This has led to about 18% cancellation of flights and if the trend continues, we might see about 50% of the flights called off by February 2009,” said Subhash Phegade, station manager of Aircon Air Spares and Services.
Landing slots had been allotted to 656 charters at the Dabolim airport for the current season, down from the 747 flights that arrived last season. The estimated number of tourists on these flights is also down from 2,30,000 last season to about 1,65,000. The slide has taken place despite discounts by operators and hoteliers. Condor station manager Bush Miranda said, “Economic slowdown has hit us badly. Prices in the beginning of the season were high. Now, though reduced there are no takers as people are more concerned about their jobs. However, we hope that the 40% of repeat foreign tourists will return this season and we will have a steady flow of at least 40% foreign tourists.”
However, Ralph de Souza, president of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa says, “The number of charter tourists coming directly to Goa has reduced as many tourists are arriving via Mumbai. Certain tour operators like TuiNodic from Finland has cancelled its operations to Goa, but Scandinavian tourists are coming via charters to Mumbai and then onto Goa.”
Industry sources admit that a majority of foreign tourists arriving are those who have booked non-refundable charter tickets. “If they cancel the tickets, they tend to lose money, so they come and prefer to stay and eat in their hotel, rather travel or spend. Due to this, auxiliary sectors like taxi operators, shack and restaurant owners are badly hit,” a source said.
Accepting the downward trend, the industry has started an intensive promotion campaign in UK and Moscow. “Along with routine packages, we are offering an extra supplement of tours to the hinterland, heritage sits, spice plantations, rivers or ghat areas and even promoting trekking in the ghat areas. The idea to expose the 40% repeat clientele to more attractions in Goa, rather than just the beaches and parties,” said de Souza.
Details available with tour operators reveal that charter operators from England have reduced Goa operations this season. While 412 charters arrived from England in 2007-2008, this year the number has dropped to 290. Similarly charter operators from Sweden reduced flights from 68 last season to 52, and those from Finland have brought down operations to 22, half the number of flights operated last year.
There will be no flights from Italy this season, though those from Belgium and Germany would remain steady at 25 and 50. There is, however, a rise in flights from Russia, from 208 last season to about 337. But Vim Airlines, hoping to operate 100 charters from Russia brought in just one and cancelled the other 99.
Tourists skip Goa, head home
Panaji: The continuing global meltdown coupled with Wednesday night’s terror attack in Mumbai has commenced the first tremors in the Goan economy.
Hours after gun shots shattered the peace of the night in Mumbai, foreign tourists cut short their Indian holiday, giving even Goa a miss and left the country from Mumbai.
“Two of our clients from France were on a north India tour and were to arrive in Goa shortly from Mumbai. They left the country from Mumbai itself, after last night’s terror attacks,” Ernest Dias, vice president, TTAG.
Industry insiders, however, say it is too early to predict the impact of the terror attack on Goa’s tourism economy. And if there’s going to be cancellations, it going to be in the Free-of-Itinery Traveller (FITs), and the Group Independant Traveller (GITs) . “There have been four cancellations of GITs in Delhi. Of these, one group was to come to Goa after a north India tour. As of now, there have been no direct cancellations for Goa, but we’ll have to wait for a few days and see,” says Alu Gomes Pereira of TCI. Industry players say the global meltdown itself has seen a 25% drop in British tourists, and a 10% drop in Scandinavian tourists as of November, although Russian arrivals have not really been affected.
“However, Russians are facing a credit crunch now. And coupled with the terror attack in Mumbai, we might see a 10-15% drop in Russian tourists,” says Dias. TNN

28 November,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition

‘Dada’, was chef Rego’s son’s last word

‘Dada’, was chef Rego’s son’s last word
The 23-Yr-Old Junior Chef Was Shot Dead At Taj, Mumbai
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Urbano do Rego, who is popularly known in Goa as chef Rego, heard the desperate dying words of his 23-yearold son early on Thursday morning and then the call ended abruptly.
In the evening, the family learnt that Boris do Rego, a junior sous chef at the Taj, Mumbai had been shot dead by terrorists that morning.
Recollecting that last harrowing call, chef Rego said that about 4.30 am on Thursday he received a call from his son Boris. “My elder son picked up the phone. After talking to Boris he looked tense and suddenly collapsed. I rushed and picked up the mobile suspecting something fishy and I heard my son cry out ‘dada’ and then the phone went dead,” said chef Rego.
“After that we tried calling him several times. But he didn’t pick the phone,” Urbano said. At 3.30 pm, the family received news that their son had been killed by terrorists. The body will arrive in Goa on Friday. Along with Boris, four other chefs were shot dead.
Chef Rego, who is corporate chef (Goan cuisine, all India operations) said his son went through several desperate and anxious moments. “When we made the first call at 9.30 pm on Thursday, he said, ‘Dada don’t worry, everything will be okay.’ But by the time we made the second call, he sounded tense as he said, “I saw a few people firing at the Shamiana restaurant and a waiter was killed’,” the father recalled.
“We couldn’t understand what was happening, but we knew he was not safe. Throughout the night we called him, sometimes he picked up, but sounded tense. At 2 am he told us that the terrorists had taken them to the basement and an hour later he said they had been brought back to the kitchen to prepare sandwiches for the guests,” recollected the father.
Proud of Boris’ culinary skills, Urbano had hoped his son would carry on with his legacy. “I wanted him to continue with my legacy and I knew in my heart that he would be better than me,” the father said. He said that though his son was not keen on going to Mumbai, he forced him to go to Mumbai as he had also started his career in Taj, Mumbai in 1970 as an apprentice. Boris had joined Taj, Mumbai in June this year to fulfil his dad’s dream, “to be the best Goan cuisine chef ”. But the dreams are now just memories for the family. “It is all over,” said chef Urbano.

28 November 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition

Goan chef gunned down at Taj

Goan chef gunned down at Taj
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Boris Rego, a 23-year-old junior sous chef at the Taj, Mumbai, was among those shot dead by terrorists who attacked the hotel.
“Dada don’t worry, everything will be okay,” he told his family in Divar over the phone at 9.30 pm on Wednesday after terrorists took over the hotel. However, his optimism was short-lived, recalls his father Urbano Do Rego, popularly known in Goa as chef Rego, who also works at the Taj here in Goa.

28 November,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition

‘I wanted case to be closed out of desperation’

‘I wanted case to be closed out of desperation’
What The German Mother Told Police In Her Second Letter
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: The letter given to the police on November 9 by the German woman who had alleged her daughter had been raped by a minister’s son seeking that the “complaint be treated as closed” was “done out of desperation and in the interest to protect my daughter from further annoyance”.
This was stated in a subsequent letter (a copy of which is in TOI’s possession) she gave to SP (north) Bosco George on November 11. Her first letter to the PI, Calangute, two days earlier had said, “I don’t wish to proceed with the complaint and the said case should be treated as closed.”
The second letter also claims that “for whichever reason”, her counsel Aires Rodrigues “saw it to be the better way”.
Rodrigues had withdrawn from the case a day after she gave the letter.
The second letter was submitted after a closed-door meeting with George and investigating officer PI Tushar Vernekar. George said, “We did receive a letter from the mother two days after she gave a letter withdrawing her complaint. But we wouldn’t like to divulge any information as investigation is in progress.”
“My daughter after giving her statement to the judge broke down...She was nervous and due to this (she was) not able to confront the matter. She needs a little bit time to recover from all this,” the woman wrote.
Admitting that “it is a good sign” that her daughter is opening up to her, the woman wrote to the police that her daughter is gradually telling her what had happened to her. This was something “she was not doing before. I am trying carefully to convince her now so that she will be ready to give more details to the police about the incident, which I know is important to proceed with the investigations. So please allow me more time until I see that my daughter feels more easy to talk about it before the police”, she added.
On November 11, the German woman submitted another letter to the SP (north)
seeking leave to take her daughter to Germany after she gave her additional statement to the police. “I would appreciate it very much as she needs a follow-up treatment by her doctors in Germany,” the mother wrote.
Meanwhile, the Calangute police has attached the hard disk of the computer used by the minor girl to communicate with the minister’s son, and sent it to Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad, for examination.

27 November,2008,The Times of India, Goa edition