Firstly I must say that I haven't particularly noticed people eating solely in Brit run establishments but I guess it does happen. I think these people are already travelling there and the restaurants/ bars are just catering for the demand rather than the other way round.

What I'm trying to say is that people don't go to Goa because they can get egg & chips there, they go because it is cheap and usually comes highly recommended. Where else can you live like a king for £ 400 a week?

I think there is also a common mis-conception that British run places won't make you ill and that is perhaps why many Brits might stick to these places.

So, no, I don't believe the restaurants & bars are a contributory factor but rather are symptomatic of a far bigger potential problem.

There have been various posts on this forum about the hooligan element discovering Goa, mostly in connection with football shirts, but again I've not seen this. I've seen plenty of football shirts on Indians and tourists alike but very little serious or certainly continual mis-behaviour. The odd person who's had one too many (or even ten too many) but then don;t we all get like that every once in a while.

As for being rude to locals, yes I do sometimes see this and it makes me cringe to think I'm British when it happens but I have been told to act this way to some Indians (mainly those who aren;t actually from Goa) and told this by locals so maybe it's not altogether there fault.

I have been told by many of my friends in Goa (Indian friends) that it is not usually the British that are the problem, Israelis, Americans, and Scandinavians often feature highly on the "there so rude scale".

Have been going to Goa for many years and can see a slide in the conduct of some of our fellow countrymen (and women). It's not a massive problem but it never used to be a problem at all!

I think it's all about respect - just because the guys in the shacks and restaurants will move mountains to make sure things are right for you, it doesn't mean you can treat them like some sort of serfs.

I agree that the overwhelming majority of Brits don't do this...but some now do. Many are very kind to the guys and their families and they become friends. Without wishing to single anybody out (but still doing so!), the Russians seem to have a way about them that can wind everybody up - including the Goans.

I've enjoyed the company of all sorts of nationalities in Goa but there's sometimes an edge there that wasn't there a few years ago. There are so many Indian people from outside Goa that I now detect an undercurrent between wealthy folks from Mumbai and the native Goans who are getting pushed or priced out of their own businesses and towns. And the out of state Indians are amongst the most rude to Goans!

It's all very confusing but I still love it. Nothing stands still and let's just hope that Goa preserves what keeps us all going back there.

it was my 1st time and i cant see what your all fussing about we were in candolim and all the tourists i saw or met were very respectable of each other and the locals,who were inturn very friendly and warm to everyone maybe things were different where you were but all i could see was respect from all sides if you think its like benidorm then i would say you have not been to benidorm as there is no comparison at all

do you think we could have this debate without upsetting our Costa Blanca forum members? I'm too busy to stand in as referee tonight!!

I haven't heard anyone from the Spain forum complaining that the narky folks on the goa forum are being nasty to them. I imagine that Benidorm offers a cheap holiday in the sun for a lot of Brits and I don't think anyone on this forum is seriously having a go at Spain.
I think it is more the syndrome of Brits Abroad that gets our goat. I for one am not impressed with british tourists who insist on getting drunk and being obnoxious. I hate all the "luvverly jubbly", "cheap as chips", "asda price" etc etc which is rife in places like Tenerife.
I appreciate that Goa will change but can't see why people feel the need to spend every night in places like The Peacock Pub or the Countryside Inn and seeking out english food in India. I imagine they just can't see how sad they are and how they are ruining the feel and vibe of Goa.
I would love to hear from someone who classes themselves as one of these "BB"'s and see what makes them choose Goa.

Edit
some people use the pm when they are unhappy with what they see
Fiona Ht mod

We first started to see the big changes in about 97 or maybe 98. We had been going to Goa since 91 and loved the fact that you could always walk on the beach without to much hassle. Once you had gone about 50 meters past the main beach entrance it was relatively quite. Then there seemed to be an explosion in the amount of sunbeds and shacks with the beds going nearer and nearer to the tide mark (hard sand). The last couple of times that we were there when we walked down the beach every 20 meters or so we would be asked "hello sunbed". Beacause the beds were now on the edge of the hard sand and the boys are at the edge of the sunbeds we could not escape this and it gets annoying when you are trying to have a conversation only to be interupted every few meters. A simple no with a smile is ignored and then "maybe later". Another no with a smile but yet another attempt of o`k maybe tomorrow. After a while it gets on your nerves so we spent more time in Ashvem, Morgem, and Querim to get away from what we call the sunbed crowd. Everyone has a right to go where they want to for holidays and Goa is now spoiled for us but we have moved on and found somewhere else that suits us. Our last trip was in Dec 2004 and that was for 1 week just to say farewell to friends that we have known for about a dozen or so years. We hold no grudges, regrets yes that it has changed so much and it now does not figure in our holiday plans. Good luck to everyone who still goes and I hope that you will still enjoy Goa but please remember that when a new type of tourist comes along they have as much right as you and you have a right to move on to other places. People on here have also said about football shirts english pubs etc and the rowdy behavoir of a small minority of some tourists and they feel ashamed of some of the English peoples behavoir. I also feel ashamed of some of the English not respecting the customs of a land that we are a guest in but it will always go on and it is not particular to a certain type of tourist.B

do you think we could have this debate without upsetting our Costa Blanca forum members? I'm too busy to stand in as referee tonight!!

That would be me
I`ve not come in here to start an argument with all the lovers of Goa, and I certainly don`t want to start on about Benidorm or Tenerife....I`ve had my belly-full this week-end, from a journalist who has written in The Times newspaper about his view of Benidorm, looking through his dark glasses and basing an opinion through his own tunnel vision of the resort.

What I have come in here to say, if you will allow me
I am old enough to remember parts of Tenerife, the small Island off the coast of Africa, as an entirely different place that it is today.
I look at those parts with dismay and wonder......
Was the price that they paid for the economy of their Island, a price too much.?
The British moved in with their burgers, fish& chips and beer for a few pesetas...out went the Canarian dress, food and traditions in certain parts...and you can still find these, but you have to look far away from the tourists traps and each day the Canarian way of life is eroded.
Without tourists and bananas, the Islands economy would be nothing, and like Goa they had to make a decision on what they needed to survive.
The tourists come, the tourist need catering for, it`s as simple as that.!

I personally, have never figured out why someone would wish to fly X amount of miles in an aluminum tube to eat egg & chips, whether it be Goa or Tenerife, but that is their choice and we as a society have to respect that.
Regarding how people behave when visiting another country, well that subject could really send my blood pressure off the scale.
I don`t care whether it is a Goan or a Spanish person who is being insulted....Respect and manners cost NOTHING. end of.!

I do get a little upset when people insult the Spanish people and the Costas.....Some of those people who are probably more mature and financially stable, were the very same people who visited in the 70`s, 80`s and even the 90`s and contributed to the image that the Costas now portray.
They left a legacy that they now look upon with disgust.

It will happen in Goa, choose how hard you try and stop it...it`s inevitable, and in years to come, you will be in the same position as I am today.
Looking, remembering, wishing we could turn the clock back. and I`m dam sure a few Spaniards feel that way, without doubt. .... but dreams don`t make peoples standard of living rise....only money.....and tourists mean one thing, MONEY.!
I should enjoy it while you can, some of you are already reporting the changes.....that`s the price for living in a global world, I`m afraid everyone wants a piece of the cake.

besos xxx
Sanji

brilliantly put - end of story ?

This old chestnut comes up every couple of months and I have to agree with Fritz, so some people like egg & chips but does that really make them hooligans??? British run Bars/Restaurants are in a minority out here and can't be blamed for the demise of Goa. Sunday Roast, Irish Theme Nights, Karaoke and Big Screen Football are all in demand. Just try to get a table at the Kindmans on a Sunday evening or a seat in Molly Malones most nights...it's impossible because they are both always packed, and not with hooligans!!! Both of these establishments are run by Goans, they work damn hard to get their customers through the door and run ragged to keep them there. Yes, we do see the odd Brit behaving badly, but then you get that with the Russians/Swedes/Germans/Indians etc. Each Nation has it's share of the "not so nice" and I'm not condoning their behaviour, in fact I hate it with a passion. It's not nice to stand by and watch a waiter being humiliated by a customer who "didn't get served on time" or thinks "the beer should be colder". However, like the british run establishments these incidents are few and far between. The Goans welcome people from all walks of life and it's their choice as to whom they allow in.....not ours. Constant sniping and over exageration on the subject of hooligans in Goa will only serve to do one thing, that is put people off coming to Goa. As most people on this forum know, Goa and it's people rely heavily on us tourists, please don't put people off because in the end it'll be the Goans that loose out.
Sorry for the rant "Shanti", Goldenflipflop xxx