Worldwide spread of coronavirus worries Goa’s tourism sector

PANAJI: Ripple effects of the dreaded Covid-19 — which has already claimed over 3,000 lives worldwide — are slowly being felt by Goa’s tottering tourism industry.
Although the state has not faced any major cancellations yet, operators say fresh bookings from European and Russian destinations have slowed down considerably.

“People are putting off travel plans due to the disease,” Ernest Dias, chief operating officer at Sita Travels, says. The agency, which handles a large chunk of inbound chartered tourists, says while it has not received any cancellations so far, there have been no new bookings either.
The world’s largest tourism trade fair, ITB Berlin 2020, which was to be held from Wednesday to Sunday, has also been cancelled.
Similarly, a major conference of lawyers that was supposed to be hosted in Goa on Thursday, has been called off, Atish Fernandes, director of the Panaji-based travel agency, First Class Holidays, says.
Nilesh Shah, partner at Purushottam Bhagwan & Associates, says the situation is likely to become clearer over the next few days. He is optimistic that Goa may benefit in the long run with several people cancelling travel to China — where the virus was first detected — and Southeast Asia.
In an advisory issued on Tuesday, the government has cautioned against non-essential travel to China. It has also advised travellers to and from China to observe good personal hygiene, to avoid contact with live animals and to not consume raw or undercooked meats. Those seeking assistance may call toll-free helpline 104, or the national call centre on +91-11-23978046.