Exotic Village Tourism: Case Study of Saligao and Candolim

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to get an insight into Goa’s tourism industry, with special reference to its villages. The focus is to contemplate whether there is scope to inject ‘Village Tourism’ in Goa. In this regard villages of Candolim and Saligao have been taken up for study. Besides personal observations by the virtue of being a local resident, a survey, was conducted of 100 tourists, both domestic and international tourist visiting Goa in December 2009. And the same set of closed ended questions was earlier administered to 100 tourists in the time span of August 2007 to March 2008. Case study of tourist centric village of Candolim and a non tourist centric village of Saligao was taken up for study. The main findings of the research shows that Goa, is best known for its beaches, churches and a fun and frolic way of life, but, there are visitors and tourist who are looking out for novelty and ethnicity that exits in the serene and unexplored villages of Goa. Village tourism can open new doors and instill a new lease of life to the Tourism industry of the state provided the local community is supportive. The study provides a shifting perceptive of Goa’s image. It also involves a critical diagnosis of the village centric tourism providing some valuables insights. It highlights the need for the industry to shift from beach centric approach to village/rural centric approach. KEYWORDS: Goa, village/ rural tourism, Candolim, Saligao, tourism fallout.

View PDF