Tourists rush to Goa undeterred by swine flu

Flu scare across the country has failed to dampen the tourist inflow in Goa as enthusiasts are still thronging the beaches during weekends, officials said. Goa State Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) said that the state has a bed capacity of 40,000 and most of its hotels have a very good occupancy. The GTDC officials also denied any reports of Flu affecting the tourist inflow in the state. "There is absolutely no need to raise apprehensions. Goa will have around 35,000 tourists visiting this weekend itself," GTDC Deputy Chairman Lyndon Monteiro said. The industry sources also rubbished rumours of weekend travellers cancelling their trips to the coastal state in view of the Swine Flu scare.

"Swine Flu has not yet affected the tourism industry. All the hotels have high occupancy and there is no dearth of weekend tourists visiting here," Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) President Ralf D'Souza said. "Goa is much safer place compared to rest of the cities. The situation here is much under control and hence this is a good reason for the tourists to come here," he said. The tiny coastal state receives around 24 lakh tourists annually including 20 lakh domestic tourists, who flock to the beaches on long weekends.