http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug22005/national19489200581.asp
Deccan Herald » National » Detailed Story THE FLOOD FALLOUT Goa hotels, resorts hit by Mumbai floods DH News Service Panaji: Goas upmarket resorts have taken a major hit from the disruption of air and rail connectivity from Mumbai, with some hotels reporting over 50 per cent loss in business in the past week. Most cancellations have come from group bookings for conferences, though individual holiday plans have also been abruptly disrupted by the Mumbai floods. Leading hotel groups like the Taj, Marriott and Holiday Inn have been hit largely by conferences being called off. On Monday, the Goa Marriott Resort at Mira Mar, had six conferences cancelled and was expecting another two to be called off. This translated into a loss of 700 room nights, the hotels resident manager Niraj Chadha told Deccan Herald. Mumbai is our primary feeder market and the disruption of connectivity is causing us major losses, Mr Chadha said. Overseas booking were also being cancelled because of floods in Mumbai, he said. At the Holiday Inn, Cavelossim, South Goa, the situation is no different for resident manager P V Menon, whose hotel has lost business worth Rs 15 lakh in a few days. We have already had five conferences cancelled and seen occupancy nosedive by 50 per cent, he complained. Some overseas tourists have been rerouting their flights via Bangalore and Delhi. But unless our links to Mumbai are restored it will be a major inconvenience, said Dennis DCosta, the resident manager of the Taj groups Fort Aguada Beach Resort. The hotel has lost two major conferences as well as individual bookings. Meanwhile, most upscale resorts in Goa are reporting chock-a-block bookings for the Independence Day weekend and hoteliers are keeping their fingers crossed for the situation in Mumbai to normalise. The cheap fares and attractive packages keep Goa ticking as a monsoon destination for mid-level travellers, say hoteliers. Conference bookings have enhanced and weve seen 100 per cent increase in traffic from Delhi. Goa is doing fine. We only hope Mumbai comes back on line, says Marriotts Chadha.
