Indian tourists throng Goa to see in the New Year despite Covid-19, and cruise boats and restaurants struggle to keep up with demand
- Beaches, pubs and nightclubs in the popular tourist destination are packed as Indian visitors go jet-skiing, join cruises and take selfies at sunset
- Businesses catering to the tourists – who make up for the lack of international visitors because of a flight ban – are doing a roaring trade
Thousands of Indian tourists have thronged the beaches, pubs and nightclubs of Goa to see in the New Year, even as the government imposed tougher restrictions to curb the latest variant of the coronavirus.
India’s suspension of international commercial flights because of the pandemic has boosted domestic tourism, with hotels and restaurants in popular destinations such as Goa enjoying a roaring trade. However, a spike in Covid-19 infections prompted India to tighten restrictions on Thursday, including night curfews in all major cities.
In Goa, authorities issued directives to hotels, restaurants and casinos to admit only guests with valid vaccination certificates or proof of a negative test result.
The palm-fringed beach at Calangute, in northern Goa, was nonetheless abuzz with activity on Thursday as tourists zoomed around on jet-skis and took selfies against the sunset.
“I really wanted to get some beach air … you know, wind in my hair, sand in my feet – so for that, I thought Goa would be the best place to go,” said Jaya Pandey, a young software engineer visiting Goa from the eastern Indian city of Patna.