The offseason in Goa naturally attracts lots of Indians tourists, and they are the only source of income for the tourism industry during the Monsoon. But what happens when these tourists face problem while on their trips to Goa? Just one terrible experience is all it takes to make up their minds and spread negative publicity about the tourism industry in Goa. Here is the story of a family from Gujarat who came down to Goa for the first time with their families for a short vacation and had to face a bad experience.
According to the report published on the Times of India, Juggling 10 bags and two feisty toddlers, the Thakkar family from Ahmedabad had come to Calangute looking for their first idyllic experience of Goa. It, however, turned out be a far cry from the tourist haven they had heard of, particularly because they got a first-hand experience of the state’s truant taxi operators.
Before flying back to Gujarat, the two young couples had planned to visit the churches of Old Goa, but the tourist taxi strike not only poured cold water on their plans, it also made the journey to the airport arduous. “This is frustrating. We will never come to Goa again,” said Jitu Thakkar.
For him and his brother Jaindra, this was the third trip to Goa, but it was the first time they had decided to bring their families along. “To carry our bags and a small child is a big hassle. Even our hotel refused to drop us. This is not how tourists should be treated. “We will not come again,” said Jaindra’s wife. The family finally boarded the Kadamba bus for the Goa International Airport for their 8.30pm flight.
The ongoing taxi strike made all their plans in Goa fail. According to the sources, the Thakkar family came down to Goa for relaxing after completing the 24-km trek to Vaishno Devi in Jammu & Kashmir, But the taxi strike forced the couple, along with their friends, to walk nearly 2km to their hotel from Candolim as no taxi was at hand.
Despite the tourist taxi strike, the impact was minimized partially as tourists hired vehicles from the App GoaMiles while some of them also booked rent-a-cab and rent-a-bikes, although at prices well above the usual market rate.
The taxi operators had warned motorcycle pilots and rickshaw operators not to ply, some of them defied the diktat. “I got a call from the local union leader told me not to take customers today. I agreed, but at the end of the day, I need to earn something,” said a rickshaw driver at Tivim railway station.
Three autorickshaw drivers chose to take a risk and ferry customers, though they charged a premium for it. Musician Khitij Verma, who arrived on the Dadar-Margao Jan Shatabdi Express, was unlucky as he missed out on all three.
“I have to go to Corlim and even my friends can’t come to pick me up,” said Verma. The young musician was hesitant to take a motorcycle pilot as he feared the rain would damage his guitar.
Source: Times of India | India Times
