Unseasonal thundershowers dampen beach shack business in Goa

PANAJI: Beach shacks that enjoyed a steady business since the beginning of Diwali have seen a spoiler in the form of the rain these past few days. For plenty of shacks, it is evenings that matter as business volumes go up. However, the unseasonal showers have caused the tourist footfalls to beaches to lessen.
“The last two days have been bad. Due to the rain business has significantly dropped as few tourists were seen on beaches after 5pm,” secretary of the Goa Shack Owners’ Welfare Society (SOWS) John Lobo told reporters.
Normally, shacks suffer losses in case of heavy unseasonal rains due to their structures, which are erected using wooden material and cannot withstand rough weather at times.
However, this time, so far, Lobo said there has been no loss on that account.
Each beach shack allottee is permitted to install a certain number of deck beds and beach umbrellas in the front of their respective structures, but, over the years, by evening all operators lay tables and chairs in the empty spaces in front of their structures while the empty shack serves as a dance floor.
In the past years, several operators in Calangute, Baga and Candolim have also started installing small decorated canopies, just enough to accomodate a table and four chairs, to provide privacy to their guests.
An operator at Baga said that though all do not set up canopies, and as they are legally not permitted, some do so to attract customers.
“With competition being stiff we have tricks to gain maximum business. Tourists also like to dine in the open. For many it is a memorable evening, which they can’t experience anywhere in India,” he said without wanting to be named.
If unseasonal rain continues, he said, it will be difficult for them to do business the way they are doing now. It is difficult to move tables and chairs when it rains suddenly. “We only hope the rain stops. After two bad seasons, we are hoping to make some gains with a good inflow of tourists.”