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Tough season: Sharp drop in tourism forces closure of Goa beach shacks
This season, Goa's iconic beach shacks—long seen as symbols of the state's vibrant coastal tourism—are disappearing at an alarming rate. With weeks still to go before the official end of the season on May 31, many shacks in popular spots like Calangute, Candolim, Colva, Cavelossim, Morjim, Benaulim, and Majorda have already shut their doors. The early closures highlight a troubling dip in both tourist footfall and overall business performance.
Due to low tourist activity, many shack owners who paid for licenses that were good till the end of May have voluntarily stopped operating, according to the Times of India. Particularly for shacks on less-visited beaches, the shutdown procedure started in the final week of March, according to the Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS). After Easter, there were more closures.
Goa tourism 2025: Fall in tourism?
The 2024–2025 season is regarded by Goa beach tourism stakeholders as one of the most difficult in recent memory. Cruz Cardozo, President of SOWS, was quoted by the ET as saying, 'If there is no business, then what is the point of keeping the shacks open?'
'There are no tourists on the beach at all. You can say the season was for two-and-a-half months, from Jan to mid-March when the foreign charter tourists were there. Now they've stopped. It is the first time that shacks have stopped for business so early,' added Manuel Cardozo, president of the Goan Traditional Shacks Owners Association.
The issues this season were not just financial. Two reported killings along Goa's beaches, many altercations between tourists and shack workers, and social media criticism all had an effect on the tourism environment. These problems further discouraged travelers, especially after the middle of March.
Goa tourism: More about less tourism in upcoming days
The second year of a three-year licensing period began with the 2024–2025 beach shack season. Although the season got off to a promising start, it soon deteriorated. The problems were discovered when tourism department officials found anomalies like shack owners renting out their shacks to non-Goans and occupying more beach space than they were allowed.
Not every shack operator has left. They have asked for authorization to continue operating into June since they are seeing an increase in domestic foot traffic in high-traffic areas like Sauntavaddo in Calangute, portions of Baga, and the entrances to major beaches.
'Some shack operators at Benaulim, Colva, Calangute - Sauntavaddo and Baga have sought an extension beyond May 31, but we have to also see the weather,' Cruz stated. The early closures as the season draws to a close serve as a reminder of how precarious Goan tourism is, with even establishments having to adjust to declining numbers and changing conditions.
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She tweets @Kaju_Katri. Views are personal. (Edited by Zoya Bhatti)
