Pratima Achrekar | NT BUZZ

The tourist season kicked off from September, and international and domestic tourists are flocking to Goa in large numbers. They believe that Goa is a wonderful destination to relax and chill out with their buddies and family.

In fact, it’s an amazing place to create memories to be cherished forever. Talking about Goa there are many attractive spots to visit, however, without a visit to the Goan beaches one may miss out on the real fun of being in Goa, as Goan beaches are known for their tranquil, pristine and serene beauty.

Shopping on the beach can prove simultaneously quite exciting as well as challenging for tourists, as items sold here are much more expensive than those found on the outskirts of beach areas. However, if you have a knack for dealing with these shopkeepers and well versed in the bargaining know-how then you could go home with overflowing bags. Normally, the rates skyrocket if you happen to be a foreign tourist, with the shopkeepers always ready to make a fast buck. To be on the safer side one should always check the rates at two or three shops and accordingly take a decision. Many foreigners come prepared knowing how things work and are able to make adroit price negotiations.

In North Goa, the Calangute beach is famous for its charm, while in the South, the Colva beach draws a lot of tourist attention. Colva beach is nearly 4kms away from Margao city, as you head towards this beach on the left you will see an ethnic shop called Ladakh Antiques, Tibetan and Kashmir Arts that deals with trinkets, carpets, shawls, walnut wooden carvings and leather bags imported from Tibet, Kashmir and Ladakh. It has an amazingly wide range of trinkets, diamond and pearl collections, walnut wooden boxes, Buddha statues. Some items that got me curious were the Kashmiri pashmina shawls and carpets.

“Pashmina is one of the world's most luxurious natural fibres used to make these shawls. Kashmir is the only place in the world where fine embroidered Pashmina shawls are woven, like the Shahtoosh and Jamavar. Pashmina shawls are hand-embroidered in Kashmir. These shawls see a great demand among tourists in Kashmir as well as in any other part where they are sold,” says Riyaz, who has a shop in the GCI Emporium, Gems and Jewellery, in Betalbatim.

The Kashmiris travelled to Goa in the 80s in search of a secure place, also hoping to make money selling their indigenous items. Today they are happy and satisfied with their life here in Goa and believe that Goa has helped their business. Riyaz and his relatives have three shops selling antique trinkets in South Goa. They are located in Colva, Betalbatim and Palolem beach.

Another business maker who receives a considerable number of customers is tattoo designer Shiva, who runs Shiva Tattoo Studio at the Colva beach, he says, “Last year we had many customers. There was not even a single seat available in our studio. There were queues of people wanting tattoos, while this year, the business has been less.” There are two kinds of tattoos - permanent as well as temporary, and they cost anything between Rs 200 to Rs 1 lakh. Colourful and black tattoos vary in size and shape, personal designs and patterns requested are also undertaken.

When asked the reason for the less tourist turnout these entrepreneurs say that European customers are affected by the recession and that perhaps could be the reason that they aren’t spending lavishly.

The second reason could be that domestic tourists find prices in Goa quite high, says the owner of GCI Emporium, gems and jewellery in Betalbatim.

Adjacent to this gems and jewellery emporium, is Ayur Mantra and Natural Ayurvedic Health Centre and SPA at Benaulim beach. Mr Jinto, who works at the ayurvedic health centre, also talks about the slow business this year. Their regular customers are Russians, British, Indian and French. The services provided are traditional Kerala massage, royal massage, back massage, shirodhara, njavara fizhi, etc.

A Lamani beachwear seller on Betalbatim beach, Geeta, was also of the opinion that Europeans don’t buy a great deal as compared to a couple of years ago when business thrived.

Shacks, hotels and resorts on the beach get good business during the peak season. Not forgetting the taxis, rickshaws, buses and motorbike pilots.