very interesting and very sad too....also clicked on the link for 6 boutique hotels, the description for the location of Casa Candolim (the beach) made me feel rather sad as it's not really quite as stated these days is it, such a shame. Fizz

The writer of the article says that her friend says hardly anyone is around.
I'd be interested to know if other people who are there now think the same - is it really quiet?
I assume it'll be fairly quiet on the beach but what about the restaurants in BCC stretch?

The comments on the article are pretty damning.

I spoke to a travel agent on the phone yesterday and he said that Goa bookings were up and it was going to be busy this year.

One point made above is particularly interesting. Next month I am going to Goa for just one week with jewel in the crown. The basic cost of the package is £760. On top of this, and using the agency recommended by JitC, the visa cost came to just over £80 including postage. This is far too much a percentage of the total cost of the holiday. Russians going to Goa get theirs on arrival. So do I when I travel to Thailand, Cambodia, and, come to think of it, every other country I have visited. For Goa, you either have to go up to London, or use an agency, (not much difference in terms of money), plus have to trust Royal Mail, plus all that nonsense on the form about addresses and phone numbers in India and two referees in India and two referees in the UK.
In Thailand you get a 30 day tourist visa on arrival, with viscious fines and jail if you overstay to act as a deterrent, but it is given to you by immigration in about two minutes once you have got to the front of the queue. Please India, get into the 21st century.

Well said Lester!

Strange how, in my experience, travel agents tell you where you want to go to is very busy, or only two seats left, it's selling out fast, etc etc. I got fed up with them years ago, most seem to have little idea of the product they sell, and will only offer you there own product. Much better to DIY, in my opinion. Certainly there's not many people forecasting a bumper season for Goa this year.
Alan

Can't be that popular when you can get a 2 week holiday now for £349... loads of them on Teletext... take your pick!

A two week holiday to the Canaries at present is dirt cheap.

Premier destinations are holding their price though.... Thailand, Maldives etc. Still a lot more expensive.

Yes it really is very quiet. Walk past many restaurants with no customers- usually busy bars with maybe 6 people in them.
In the day time whilst there are not many shacks open I would have thought that places like the Juice Bar on Calangute High Street would be busy but they do not have the usual number of patrons. Shops are very quiet, even the large Newtons store was almost empty when we went in there which must be a first.
The only thing that is not quiet is the roads, traffic is getting heavier and heavier, with more and more tourist scooters (and people who have never ridden a bike in their lives until they get to Goa - or so it seems) and 4x4's.

Nobody gets a free visa into Cambodia...$20 on arrival,more if you use an overland crossing you get ripped off.

Lester
I know this is and damn-all use to you now but you could have got your visa much cheaper (assuming you paid £80 for one visa) by doing an on-line postal application.
We paid £77.72 for 2 visas plus £4.95 x 2 for the Royal Mail Special Delivery envelopes - total cost £87.62 for 2 pax.

Interesting report from Waterproof about how quiet the restaurants/bars are even without the beach shacks.

people who have never ridden a bike in their lives until they get to Goa - or so it seems

In bad weather conditions with 4 x 4's .... Death Wish?

I've driven a scooter here for the past 3 years and still got rammed by a taxi driver yesterday. Of course being a foreigner it was my fault, lucky there were no police around because they would have sided with the local and probably wanted money off me too! Take good care if you are thinking of driving here, they really have no common sense on the road. A scooter may be cheaper but taxi's are much safer!

kirsty - depends on which taxi driver you choose -
We have a good one now but had to kiss a few frogs to get a prince.

yes we had 2 near misses last night with a 4x4 .(stupid crazy driver!!).. and a cow....
chilly

took my daughter and nephew a few years ago(age 13) when they saw the amount of cows they started saying cows boss
so to nick their saying Chilly
COWS BOSS no if no buts

true Angelswitch

http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=30034&cid=2
http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=30036&cid=2

Mmmm...Could have beach shacks up and a clean beach!!

re beach cleaning.

you can imagine the scene cant you. somthing that looks like a mechanised potato picking machine on the back of a tuk tuk with about 100 boys on it leaning over the side picking up all the litter. sounds hilarious.
the main sticking point will be trying to sort out who will drive the thing???????
smudger2

http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=30021&cid=13

Killing the tourism goose!