This story is from June 24, 2020

Unlock tourism sector, trade body urges Goa CM Pramod Sawant

Members of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) on Tuesday called on chief minister Pramod Sawant and requested him to unlock the tourism sector in the larger interest of the state.
Unlock tourism sector, trade body urges Goa CM Pramod Sawant
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant
PANAJI: Members of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) on Tuesday called on chief minister Pramod Sawant and requested him to unlock the tourism sector in the larger interest of the state.
A delegation led by TTAG president Nilesh Shah handed over a letter to Sawant with a request to take immediate measures to restart tourism activities.
“We want tourism to restart with all guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place,” said Shah.

He said that not just hotels, but every person in the state who is dependant on tourism for livelihood has been affected.
“Be it a taxi driver, vegetable and fish vendor, or a person operating a grocery store, we are all affected,” he said.
They all, he said, are eager to see that tourism activities resume, even though the fear of Covid exists. They understand the dangers of Covid, that it will not disappear soon, but their livelihood is also important, Shah said.
He said hotels are trying to survive despite operators going through the worst financial crisis.

Shah said some hotels have offered a helping hand to taxi operators who are witnessing a rough phase.
More than 15 days after the tourism department started accepting online applications from hotels that are willing to open, it is yet to issue standard operating procedure (SOPs) for their operations.
The department had announced that it will unveil the protocols soon.
Since then, more than 200 hotels have expressed willingness to open amid the Covid-19 crisis.
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