Daijiworld Media Network - Calangute

Calangute, Oct 16: Only a handful of beach shacks have opened for tourists in the popular Calangute-Candolim belt, despite the early start to the licence renewal process, with around 80 per cent of the shacks still under construction. With early indications of poor tourist footfalls, some shack owners are reportedly keen to sublet their establishments despite a ban imposed by the Tourism Department.

Veteran Candolim shack owner Seby D’Souza said he and a couple of other operators opened their shacks on October 2 to cater to tourists during the extended Gandhi Jayanti weekend.

“People are going very slow in building their shacks probably because the crowd is low. It’s the heat and the high air fares from Delhi, Mumbai, which is keeping people away,” he said.

Some shack operators are expected to open after Dussehra next week, while the season is likely to gather momentum with Diwali in early November, stakeholders said.

“The heat makes it very difficult to carry on work on building the shack, so the workers take a nap in the afternoon,” a shack owner said.

With around 260 charter flights expected this season, several shack owners are looking at interested parties from Delhi, Mumbai and other metropolitan cities to sublet their establishments, stakeholders said. Last season, 189 charter flights brought 40,336 tourists to Goa.

Traditionally, shack operators in the Calangute-Candolim belt largely depended on charter tourists. However, with charter arrivals gradually declining over the past decade, operators have shifted their focus towards domestic tourists, a shack operator said.

Manuel Cardozo, president of the Traditional Shack Owners Association, said the business was no longer lucrative enough for many operators, prompting them to sublet their shacks.

“Running beach shacks is not lucrative enough for most shack operators, so they sub-let. There are some shack licence holders who never even build their own shacks. They simply take the licence after paying the fee and then sell the licence for around Rs 3-4 lakh,” Cardozo said.

“There are others who build the shacks and then give them on rent for a few lakhs, the price depending on the location. This has been going on for years,” he added.

Cardozo said that last season, nearly 150 shacks were found to be involved in subletting based on QR payment records. However, despite notices being issued to cancel their licences, no further action was taken, he said.

“We expect the trend to repeat,” Cardozo added.