I have heard RUMOURS also that Goa is also trying to push out the 6 month-ers, as they come over and spend very little, I presume this s compared with the 2 week-ers... I thought this was just RUMOURS but now you've said this I don't know... Perhaps everyone should visit Marahastra or Kerela instead. I do think the bubble might 'pop' if they're not careful....

people are already looking for other places to holiday ,goa is losing its charm to a lot of people now.that said ill still be there at xmas/newyear.but after that ill be trying somewhere else.

To be honest based on the taxes we pay over here its not going to make one bit of difference at the end of the day its roughly £1.50 on our bills.

When we are paying around £500 for a basic hotel 2 week holiday during April its a drop in the ocean. Over the last few years we have been hit with a £15 a person airport tax, £25 per person fual levy on flights etc etc

What next... a surcharge on Beer and Prawns ??

We already pay that anyway especially on beer, went up last week in the budget by a penny a pint yet most pubs put there prices up 10p doesnt really deter anyone.

And also if the government use that 100 rupees for good causes ie, robs charity, cleaning the place up, more police, making your lives that little bit better etc etc then i am more than happy to pay that charge to keep Goa exactly what it is, a special place to go full of very special people.

Regards

Peter

Let's face it, £1.50 won't be the thing that prevents people going to Goa. However, it is an illustration of governments all over the world finding new ways to syphon funds from profitable enterprises in order to spend them inefficiently!

The thing that bugs me more is the totally unfriendly visa application process. No cheques and pay your own special delivery return postage. It hardly says, "Thanks for visiting India-we value your custom."

Despite the figures not being large, I do fear there will be a cumulative effect if more small charges are introduced. People will just think it's not worth the hassle and go somewhere else.

Hi roma

I agree with the visa aspect, but have you tried to get a visa for the states makes the indian one seem a breeze.

Personally getting the postal visa is no problem i save the application form on my pc and just reprint the completed form each time i need a visa. I would hate to imagine the issues paying by Chq would create, and the extra costs that would be involved which at the end of the day would just be passed onto everyone, much the same with the special delivery return postage,at the end of the day someone has to pay for it and guess what it would be us.

It would be great if they moved to the electronic visas like Australia much more easier and quicker to obtain.

Regards

Peter

when does this new charge apply?

countries that become very popular(or should i say governments of countries) always seem to feel the need to squeeze that little bit more out of the tourists that are already putting loads into the local economy...shame. i always remember that majorca debacle a couple of years ago where they whacked a huge tourist tax on arrivals - tourist numbers dropped markedly & they soon changed their tune & dropped it.
100rp is ok though but taxes like this rarely stay at a low level for long. not so long ago departure tax was unheard of apart from in 3rd world countries but it wasnt long before everyone jumped on the old bandwagon! and i remember australia was one of the first 'wealthy' countries to bring in a departure tax now loads of countries have adopted this tax for the privilidge of 'departing' their country!!!!

whilst only a small amount,its just another way to extort money from the tourist. .

Referring to what Rob said about the long stayers, I have also heard the RUMOURS. In fact it seems that it's not just tourists that the Goans resent. There was a very interesting piece in the Herald yesterday (Tuesday 28th March) which covered a full page and went on about Foreigners, Outsiders and Migrants. Part of the piece was concerned with Outsiders coming in and taking jobs on construction sites and fishing boats that would otherwise be done by locals. The piece even condemned people coming to Goa to set up christian charities which are only concerned in helping street children who are non Goan.
I've tried to find this story on the web so that I can post a link here but unfortunately can't find it.
GFF xx

well the tax isnt going to keep the type of Goa visitor thats coming at the moment i was at Marinha Dourada Hotel last week and there were st george cross flags over the balconies, there should be a tax on st g flags hanging over balconies of Double your holiday price hopefully the hotel forced the flag bearers to remove them

Good job most english tourists will have gone home when the world cup is on else there'll be people flying round on mopeds with st georges flags painted on their faces!

Is the article in the Herald not related to the fact that someone has been discovered in Goa with a large sum of explosives and that they have suddenly realised lots of places don't even bother filling in police registration forms for visitors who have come by internal means ie train and bus.
The Herald also ran a story two weeks ago about a tourism conference in Delhi which aimed to break the 4million oversea's tourist mark of visitors overall to India. The conference - with all the tourism ministers present also acknowledged that people, especially from the UK, should be given 5 and 10 year visa's as the Americans are to help encourage more visitors.

Still not sure if it will change the UK visa process in the short term - getting my last visa in Bradford was, as usual, a chaotic, confusing all-day affair although we did get a free meal from the community centre which was lovely!