Nancy Woods meets two British families in Goa. To find out why travelling to Goa is considered fun, romantic, and a fantastic holiday destinations getting-away from winters or a family holiday from Britain. My trip to Goa has a nostalgic perspective and tries to weave through these intersecting points as I visit after thirty years.
GOA
Goa, is a jewel in India’s crown and has been lavishly blessed with nature’s bounties. Traditionally, Goa has long attracted attention. Goa was liberated as a colony on December 19, 1961 after 450 years of Portuguese rule. Post liberation, Goa, has gained prominence as a world tourist destination. The white Gothic churches against a green backdrop with swaying palms and whispering waves fascinate one and all. Goa lies on the west coast of India and is the tiniest state measuring 3,702 km2. It shares its boundaries with the state of Maharashtra to the north and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea envelopes its western coast.
Besides the 105km of beaches, Goa also has to its credit innumerable sacred places of worship, temples, churches, chapels, world heritage sites, monuments of historical importance and colonial buildings. Goa has a pleasant and sunny climate with temperatures varying between 25°C – 30°C (approximately 67.96F – 81.56F),which is one of the main reasons why tourists from Europe and around the globe flock here. Other appealing factors are its cultural heritage which is a congruent blending of the east and west. People of all religion live in harmony in Goa, and the locals have an inherent peaceful loving attitude.
It was just after the New Year celebrations in mid-January, yet the holidaymakers were out in full force. I spoke to a few people who kept returning to Goa and they had positive memories of their holidays. The restaurants and snack bars were upmarket. A restaurant I visited served the most delightful chicken pasty soft and scrumptious filled with chicken. Goa is known for its fish curries. The meals are triumphant and to a certain degree unbureaucratically self-sufficient; served in the traditional Goan way.
British Tourists in North Goa
I was staying at Santana Beach Resort in a quiet location of North Goa. In the intimate walkable centres of the resort I met with Rand. So, lulled I am by meeting people from Britain in Goa and take a quiet satisfaction to having discovered that Goa still remains a hot-spot destination for British tourists. Rand and Eva from Poole Dorset were staying for five months in Goa. I met with the Zsigo family also from sunny Poole. It turned out to be such a small world when the Roberts and Zsigo from the same home town find each other at the breakfast bar. Eva said that they managed to do far more talking than the last seventeen years. Eva was so happy. She added ” It was amazing to meet up because we don’t see each other in Poole due to work commitments. I use to work with Rob and it was such a small world to come here and actually find him. Incredible!”
There is a certain amount of joy in holidaying in Goa for people from Britain because it’s very different from London and more so if you are in Goa when it’s winter in Britain. Goan people are friendly and polite.
Fall of Russian tourism in Goa
Nevertheless, much has changed in Goa judging by the ranks of freshly built hotels and apartments. Goan tourism continues to flourish, thanks to its secular values and increasing consumerism. Recent economic development has been driven by growing Russian investment in property and small business. However, UK tourists are now outnumbered by Russian and Indian tourists, who increase annually as their economies grow. This year however, Russian tourism was down. One of the reasons could be the exchange rates. As they govern to a large extent where tourists will go – the weak rouble driven by Russia’s domestic policies or perhaps the Russian tourist love affair may be waning off with Goa because of grotesque incidents.
This meant that there were more European tourists holidaying at least in North Goa where I was stationed. It became interesting to find out about the lack of tourists from Russia in Goa particularly from a British perspective. Could Russia’s love affair with Goa stem from its political participation as an outsider of the European Union and to drive off westerners by taking a strong hold in Goa? I met with David Roberts from Poole in Dorset. As an English tourist in Goa David said “It would encourage more Brits to visit Goa.” David Roberts interview in Goa
Romantic Goa
Goa can be a romantic holiday destination. Going for a long walk on the sandy beaches of Goa’s Calamari beach along the shore is unlike the rocky coast of Croatia. At intervals along the beach were a chain of shacks. On a moonlit walk the shacks were lit up with coloured bulbs and neon lights flashing after sunset, with music from the 90’s setting the ambience. Sitting on a ledge in the darkness of the night looking at the stars, the sea gleamed with a dark blue light, stretching out into the deep Indian Ocean. The light, warm sea breeze blowing mildly made it an idyllic place to capture precious holiday moments of tranquillity. Goa certainly hasn’t lost its magic of romance. Furthermore, beach centric tourism has not lost its appeal for Brits. Goa has not reached a saturation stage as predicted because of the decline in Russian and Eastern European tourists judging by the British tourists who flock to Goa year after year. Their return has injected a new lease of life to Goa’s tourism industry.
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