Panaji: In the past, it was only a handful of beaches huts Allottees who regularly opt for sublet, however, have increased in number this year. With no foreign tourists, the allottees – mostly living away from the main Calangute And candolim Beach Hubs – Beaches are opting to rent out their shanties in defiance of shack policy to tide over the economic crisis.
Goa has seen a huge influx of domestic tourists since September, but industry stakeholders say these visitors mostly visit the popular beaches of Calangute, Baga and Candolim. This means that shanties located away from the main beach belt do not benefit from the spectacular increase in domestic footfall that is seen on weekends and at other times of the year.
Such shanties running beyond the main Calangute beach and along the Sinquerim beach and in Candolim have been mainly dependent on foreign tourists for the past several years.
Due to the absence of foreign tourists, the shack operators cannot recover the expenses.
Last season many people, including me, didn’t put their shackles on despite paying the license fee. This season I have set up my shack. Many people in Gauravaddo in Calangute have rented out their shanties due to poor business,” said an operator.
Another operator said the huts are mostly rented out by non-locals, who believe it to be a lucrative business. “And it is, provided you have a steady flow of tourists. Most shacks in Calangute and Candolim traditionally relied on foreign customers. It didn’t matter even if they were located at the dead end of the beach, as foreigners Prefers solitude,” he said.
However, in the absence of foreign tourists, shack operators cannot recover the cost of setting up a shanty, as well as other expenses. The fare will not be less than Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per season depending on the region. With the Calangute-Baga section, it can go up to Rs 3 lakh and more for a season.
“All the charges like license fee of tourism department, fee of Food and Drug Administration and Directorate of Excise and panchayat fee easily come to around Rs 1.2 lakh. Also we will have to spend an additional Rs 3 lakh for setting up the hut,” the operator said.
Due to the pandemic, the tourism department had reduced the beach license fee by 50% for the previous and current season.
Moreover, the operator said that with high wear and tear, they are also unable to reuse the construction material. The same applies to electrical equipment and other accessories.
“They degrade rapidly because of the salinity. Many operators will tell you that their CCTV cameras installed two years ago are not working and now they cannot afford to buy new cameras,” said another operator.
As per the beach shack policy, each allottee will have to install a CCTV camera.
This season, many operators are facing a new problem – waiters demanding to pay commission on bills, a trend that has gained traction among operators along the main Calangute beach.
A Baga operator said that, since the start of the season, at least seven of its employees have quit after refusing to pay a commission on a bill. However, he was forced to give in last week after two more of his waiters threatened to leave if the commission was not paid.
“They are not my partners in the business, but last week I was helpless. How will I manage if everyone starts leaving? I agreed to a 5% commission on the bills raised, as well as a salary of Rs 5,000,” he said.
He said the commission would vary from beach to beach, with waiters at Calangute beach commanding up to 10%.
A shack operator in Candolim said the trend is not healthy, but it has forced others to either follow it or lose business.
“Shack rental operators are likely to do all sorts of tricks to stay ahead of business, including engaging in illegality. Time is behind us to operate the shack by waiting at the billing counter for the incoming customers. If you don’t have one to two waiters to bring in customers, chances are you will hardly do any business,” he said.
The tourism department allocates around 340 to 350 huts, the maximum of which are located in North Goa, mainly in the Calangute, Baga and Candolim tourist areas.
Goa has seen a huge influx of domestic tourists since September, but industry stakeholders say these visitors mostly visit the popular beaches of Calangute, Baga and Candolim. This means that shanties located away from the main beach belt do not benefit from the spectacular increase in domestic footfall that is seen on weekends and at other times of the year.
Such shanties running beyond the main Calangute beach and along the Sinquerim beach and in Candolim have been mainly dependent on foreign tourists for the past several years.
Due to the absence of foreign tourists, the shack operators cannot recover the expenses.
Last season many people, including me, didn’t put their shackles on despite paying the license fee. This season I have set up my shack. Many people in Gauravaddo in Calangute have rented out their shanties due to poor business,” said an operator.
Another operator said the huts are mostly rented out by non-locals, who believe it to be a lucrative business. “And it is, provided you have a steady flow of tourists. Most shacks in Calangute and Candolim traditionally relied on foreign customers. It didn’t matter even if they were located at the dead end of the beach, as foreigners Prefers solitude,” he said.
However, in the absence of foreign tourists, shack operators cannot recover the cost of setting up a shanty, as well as other expenses. The fare will not be less than Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per season depending on the region. With the Calangute-Baga section, it can go up to Rs 3 lakh and more for a season.
“All the charges like license fee of tourism department, fee of Food and Drug Administration and Directorate of Excise and panchayat fee easily come to around Rs 1.2 lakh. Also we will have to spend an additional Rs 3 lakh for setting up the hut,” the operator said.
Due to the pandemic, the tourism department had reduced the beach license fee by 50% for the previous and current season.
Moreover, the operator said that with high wear and tear, they are also unable to reuse the construction material. The same applies to electrical equipment and other accessories.
“They degrade rapidly because of the salinity. Many operators will tell you that their CCTV cameras installed two years ago are not working and now they cannot afford to buy new cameras,” said another operator.
As per the beach shack policy, each allottee will have to install a CCTV camera.
This season, many operators are facing a new problem – waiters demanding to pay commission on bills, a trend that has gained traction among operators along the main Calangute beach.
A Baga operator said that, since the start of the season, at least seven of its employees have quit after refusing to pay a commission on a bill. However, he was forced to give in last week after two more of his waiters threatened to leave if the commission was not paid.
“They are not my partners in the business, but last week I was helpless. How will I manage if everyone starts leaving? I agreed to a 5% commission on the bills raised, as well as a salary of Rs 5,000,” he said.
He said the commission would vary from beach to beach, with waiters at Calangute beach commanding up to 10%.
A shack operator in Candolim said the trend is not healthy, but it has forced others to either follow it or lose business.
“Shack rental operators are likely to do all sorts of tricks to stay ahead of business, including engaging in illegality. Time is behind us to operate the shack by waiting at the billing counter for the incoming customers. If you don’t have one to two waiters to bring in customers, chances are you will hardly do any business,” he said.
The tourism department allocates around 340 to 350 huts, the maximum of which are located in North Goa, mainly in the Calangute, Baga and Candolim tourist areas.
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