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PRAVEENA SHARMA
As he settled into the chair across the table after a limp handshake, one could not miss the listlessness in his eyes that ached with past experiences, unshaven facial hair and dishevelled appearance. A pall of sadness hung over him.
He wandered through polite small talk before he began talking on his favourite topic – Goa. In a flash, his eyes glowed with happiness as he donned the hat of Goa’s brand ambassador.
He spoke of how Goa was from another planet – wrapped in mysteries, intrigues and mystic beauty you unravelled every day. “There is no other place like it on earth,” he asserted.
This was more than half a decade back when Goa’s brand as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ had not started to corrode. This branding had stuck to the sultry State in the western Konkan coastal region because of its azure sea, pristine beaches, lush green landscape crowded with coconut palms, rich cultural heritage, intriguing history and warm hospitality with a personal touch.
Back then, little shards of this brand of Goa lay strewn by the wayside. There was hope it would be picked up and pieced together to make it whole again.
Back then, little shards of this brand of Goa lay strewn by the wayside. There was hope it would be picked up and pieced together to make it whole again.
Of course, that was a pipe dream. Today, splitters of Goa’s old brand are being swept away by the winds of change as new pieces are being gathered to create Goa’s new brand.
Its brand, as a tourist destination, is today being positioned differently, and driven by a new set of people. For some time now, Goa’s identity has broken away from being just a beachy attraction. The coastal State is no longer using its beaches as its only unique value proposition.
Also, its recent marketing strategy does little to enhance its appeal as a global brand in the minds of the foreign visitors, whose inflow into the State has slumped in recent years.
An analysis of the tourism department’s data shows the share of overseas tourists in Goa’s tourist numbers has slipped from over 40 per cent in the early 2000s to less than 10 per cent today.
Its recent marketing strategy does little to enhance its appeal as a global brand in the minds of the foreign visitors, whose inflow into the State has slumped in recent years.
In the past, Goa’s tourism was largely propelled by mom-and-pop and small businesses, and a few corporates. That’s been completely reversed. It’s now dominated by business behemoths.
Name a major domestic or an international hospitality player. Chances are they have already forayed into the Goan market and are looking to expand.
From the once-bohemian destination, its perception has changed to the usual touristy place, where you do the rounds of beaches, book into luxury hotels, host a lavish wedding, do overnight or weekend Las-Vegas-kind casino trips, visit ancient monuments and waterfalls, live in the wild to be closer to wildlife and nature, participate in festival celebrations, try out cuisines from around the world, party at pubs and night clubs.
The traffic jams and crowded beaches are par for the course and do not deter the new breed of tourists, who are ever too glad to get away from the routine life of their home town or city.
Most importantly, Goa’s tourism brand is today being projected not so much by locals or the native Goans, but by the migrants, who have made Goa their home over time. They are young, tuned to new tourism trends and tech savvy. They do not care much for the old ways of Goa’s tourism.
And, they are people from Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Gujarat and from even as far as West Bengal.
Most importantly, Goa’s tourism brand is today being projected not so much by locals or the native Goans, but by the migrants, who have made Goa their home over time. They are young, tuned to new tourism trends and tech savvy. They do not care much for the old ways of Goa’s tourism.
It’s these people, who are dictating the narrative of Goa’s tourism story and branding. They believe they can read the minds of tourists better than locals as they have, themselves, been tourists sometime in the past.
And so, it’s not surprising to see glimpses of Mumbai and Delhi across Goa. Branding cues are also being picked up from social media postings that capture the aspirations of an average Goan tourist.
And thus, Goa’s brand images do not just include serene beaches or narrow and serpentine streets, running through its tranquil neighbourhood, but also glossy pictures of luxury hotels, casinos, multi-lane roads and so many other things that reflect today’s Goa.
Bit by bit, and brick by brick, the foundation for the edifice of Goa’s altered brand is fervently being laid by its new architects.