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Elections 2019: Goa's Tourism Business Hit By Model Code of Conduct

Restrictions on sale of liquor and open air music have affected hotel bookings, says body of tourism industry in Goa.
File photo of water scooters parked on the Baga beach in Goa.
Punit Paranjpe / Reuters
File photo of water scooters parked on the Baga beach in Goa.

PANAJI―The tourism industry in Goa is complaining that restrictions imposed by the Election Commission of India have hit the business.

Ahead of April 23 Lok Sabha polls and Assembly by-elections in the coastal state, sale of liquor has been banned post 10 pm, and there are restrictions on the use of music at open-air premises under the Model Code of Conduct.

“Ahead of April 23 Lok Sabha polls and Assembly by-elections in the coastal state, sale of liquor has been banned post 10 pm, and there are restrictions on the use of music at open-air premises under the Model Code of Conduct.”

Savio Messiah, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, apex body of tourism industry in the state, said hotel owners are facing booking cancellations due to these restrictions.

The TTAG had taken up the issue with the state’s Chief Electoral Officer in the past but there was no response, he said.

Ruling coalition partner Goa Forward Party has written to the ECI in this regard. GFP chief and deputy chief minister Vijai Sardesai said in the letter that tourism industry was “apolitical”, and the mainstay of the state’s economy, so some relaxations be granted to the establishments which have the licence to operate beyond 11 pm.

Sardesai also demanded that religious activities be exempted from poll restrictions.

Cruz Cardoso, president, Shack Owners’ Welfare Society, said people who preferred to sit in beach shacks now sit indoors, and some shacks are winding up operations though the tourist season is not over.

The ban on liquor sale affects foreign tourists, he said.

When contacted, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar admitted that poll restrictions were affecting the industry. “I will take up the issue with chief minister Pramod Sawant today,” he said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.