Perhaps they are worried http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=26436&cid=26

Next march will be our third time to goa and this time we're going for 4 weeks,I wont say how much we paid but suffice to say we were royaly ripped off by thomson! We're staying at silver sands holiday village in candolim in a superior room and have read good reveiws about it. Having spoken to freinds we were advised to book seperately by going direct with the hotel and getting our won flights. Last year we flew from goa to delhi using kingfisher airlines,we booked standard seats and honestly it was like flying first class and now kingfisher are doing flights from heathrow to goa via delhi. Having looked into this it will take consiberably longer to get there and back but the total cost is nearly half the price of this years holiday. Google kingfisher airlines to see how cheap they are its shocking lol

Ben

Mabey it's also about time for them to think as well about things such as the ruined Sinquerm beach due to the River Princess saga, the ridiculous response to the Mumbai terrorists ,such as gun emplacements on the beaches, the usual shambles of shack licences, the knocking down of shacks in front of patrons, and the sunbed fiascos, the agressive taxi drivers, and on and on. Its not just the landing charges at Dabolim that has meant a 50% drop in numbers, other places they are competing against such as Thailand have had to weather the worldwide recession, and have not seen a drop in their numbers anything like Goas. As usual they seem unable to see the bigger issues, and by and large adopt the Indian reaction to falling numbers and revenue, by simply hiking up their prices and are surprised when the outcome of this is a further reduction in numbers visiting. If they thought last season was bad, they are in for an unpleasant shock when they see this seasons numbers.
Alan

Well I think we'll be waiting a good long while til they sort the river princess out everyhting takes forever in india, maybe its our fault realy for introducing them to bureaucracy back when we ruled india and now everything takes forever lol. We tend to stay away from that part of the beach which is a shame because its lovley and quiet there. They made a huge mistake last year with 'no postal visas' and having to go to the IHC in person or pay double through and agent, mind you they did back down half way through the season which was and probly will be the fastest decision they've ever made hehe.

Ben

Mabey it's also about time for them to think as well about things such as the ruined Sinquerm beach due to the River Princess saga, the ridiculous response to the Mumbai terrorists ,such as gun emplacements on the beaches, the usual shambles of shack licences, the knocking down of shacks in front of patrons, and the sunbed fiascos, the agressive taxi drivers, and on and on. Its not just the landing charges at Dabolim that has meant a 50% drop in numbers, other places they are competing against such as Thailand have had to weather the worldwide recession, and have not seen a drop in their numbers anything like Goas. As usual they seem unable to see the bigger issues, and by and large adopt the Indian reaction to falling numbers and revenue, by simply hiking up their prices and are surprised when the outcome of this is a further reduction in numbers visiting. If they thought last season was bad, they are in for an unpleasant shock when they see this seasons numbers.

SPOT ON! I may go to Thailand this year,

Go to Thailand Neil...visa on arrival no cost for 30 days,far better accomodation,decent supermarkets and clean roads....no walking in the midddle of the road with all the dust,dirt and cow s###!

I went to Thailand from Goa 2 years ago. The beaches are so much better than Goa.The people are much nicer,even the police over there were nice to us when we were not wearing a crash helmet. Long story about the Thai police but we had 6 of them stripped down to the waist when we paying our fine at the police station.
Bangkok is safer to walk round than Bombay at night.
The downside for me was i hate Thai food ! I was living on Beef burgers for 2 weeks .The other down side is i thought it was really expensive compared to Goa /India .

We visit both India and Thailand regularly. We look for different things in both places, and enjoy them both. One thing I would definitley say however, is that Thailand, and indeed most Far Eastern Countries, work a lot harder to encourage tourists, Goa and India as a whole seem to put a lot of effort into discouraging people from visiting, and have a tourist industry despite their own efforts
Alan

So why do we all love Goa so much and keep going back???

I found the taxi drivers were not as aggresive this year(march)and were taking a haggle easier.

My tuppence worth,

I have a friend who owns property in Thailand and it is wrong to say tourism is not down.It is seriously down.With the political situation the worldwide economic mess and the collapse of the pound against the baht Thailand is in big trouble.

We have been many times to both Goa and Thailand and there are similarities.The Thais like the Goans are trying to compensate for less visitors with rising prices.

Whereas in the U.K. we have seen real deflation in prices(anyone noticed how cheap a pub lunch or dinner is at the moment) the indians and thais see things differently.

At the moment Thailand is much more expensive than Goa due to the weak pound.The pound has held up well against the rupee and there would be a great oppurtunity for the Goan government to exploit this.

You are always seeing advertising campaigns for Wonderful Thailand but when is the last time you saw a government sponsored campaign to attract tourists to Goa.

They need profesional help but are too proud or too stupid to go out and pay for it.

The main thing Thailand beats Goa hands down in is the visa on arrival.Included in the cost of the air ticket all you do is fill out the normal form on the plane and you are in.If they sort out this hassle it would increase visitors dramatically.

Papa

I agree Papa with your comments re the visa hassle, I have travelled alot in the Far East and visa on arrival is so much less hassle, I still love Goa though and can't wait to be back in March

I have been to Thailand once, I stayed in Hua Hin, where the Kings Summer Palace is, the restaurants were nice, lots of European food if you don't like Thai food, the hotels were relatively cheap and far superior to anywhere I have stayed in Goa. The beach wasn't a patch on Candolim/Calangute. I visited some lovely places there but what I disliked and ruined the holiday for me was the 'seedy' side of things. I am told that similar things go on in Goa, but have never seen it myself. In Hua Hin there were so many bars where the girls were openly selling themselves to middle aged to elderly European men who had travelled to Thailand for one thing, and that certainly wasn't the culture. Give me Goa any day, not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I would happily take my family there, I wouldn't be comfortable taking them to Thailand. As I say though I have only visited one resort other areas may well be different.

I went to Hua Hin in 1992, it was a great little fishing village then, very few big hotels... The more tourists they get the more they'll cater for their "needs".. Hope Goa doesn't succumb to that to soon..

I have a friend who owns property in Thailand and it is wrong to say tourism is not down.It is seriously down.With the political situation the worldwide economic mess and the collapse of the pound against the baht Thailand is in big trouble.

I agree....numbers are way down, but in places like Phuket it's been a way to drive down prices.....they were becoming ridiculously greedy compared to other parts of Thailand, even if they have spent a lot on quality.
We had a great holiday in April and got 2 fabulous hotels for £40 a night...direct pool access, freebies, great rooms and bathrooms....previously they were unaffordable at over £100 in peak season. The exchange rate was 50...less than a few years ago but not expensive considering the price cuts....a beer in a bar ranged from 80p to £1.50, compared to the UK that's still pretty reasonable.
What i actually didn't like was the absence of Thai food.....the place is being swamped by chain pizza's, steakhouses, and Italian restaurants!

The beach wasn't a patch on Candolim/Calangute.

What, no overcrowding,no sights and aromas of a rubbish tip whilst having a beer ( especially by the Calangute steps), no chance of getting run over by a jet ski in the water, no chance of tripping over a paragliders rope if you walk along the waters edge, no chance of being hit by a cricket ball, no smell of petrol fumes !

It must have been really bad !!!!!!!!!!!!

Well there was certainly more than a fair chance of being ko'd by a volley ball, or whatever it is people knock about on the beach to each other. Also horses thundering up and down the beach at a fair old rate, was quite scary as they came whizzing past you.
I don't choose to sit by Calangute steps to have a drink, nor do I venture near the paragliders ropes - I didnt in Thailand either.
Yes it was really bad for me, I didnt like the place, I felt uncomfortable, but thats just me.
I am happy with Goa, I arrive there and feel I have come home, I wish they would get their act together over the rubbish, the River Princess etc, however I am happy to be there. I just dont understand why people knock it so much and yet still go back for more.
Are you going back this year Dave?

Of course I am Roxey ... I can't wait ! Goa in November,Kerala in March
You get to love everything about India, it's part of the package.
Seriously though I think sooner or later there will be a serious accident on Calangute/Baga beach as all the activities are so unregulated.
It's not my idea of holiday heaven there but there again there are plenty of much quieter spots for those that want them.
Looking ahead to 2010/11 we have been contemplating a change and Thailand/Vietnam/Cambodia are being seriously considered.
cheers Dave

"

Yes it was really bad for me, I didnt like the place, I felt uncomfortable, but thats just me.

To be fair, HuaHin and Cha Am attract a lot of the Bangkok crowd on day trips, and the beach isn't particularly good compared to the islands or Krabi.
Krabi's a nice place....less hustle and bustle but fabulous ocean and great sand....more like South Goa with more to look at.