Patner - At least the dogs have now is good. The monster of Patner, a small beach in the south of Goa, seen from well-fed, better than all the other fish, meat that is really well-seasoned on the plates of tourists should be prepared, get the dogs now. The smell of grilled kingfish blowing over the beach, a waiter lifts him from the charcoal and put it in aluminum foil one. "We had hoped that someone from the odor can convince him and ordered," said Yashpal. "Now get him but the dogs. It is to despair."
Yashpal works only for a month in Goa, he comes from a village in Himachal Pradesh, north India. There is now icy cold, the tourist season in this region in the summer. Therefore, the 25-year olds for the winter for a job in Goa sought, in one of the restaurants that are on the beach in front of the coconut palm-lined, looking west, where the sun sinks in the Indian Ocean.
"My colleagues say, normally you could here from noon until late into the night less than three minutes, so there are many tourists here." He looks to the tables of his restaurants are empty - and that of the neighboring houses as well. "A lot of money this winter, we do not deserve," he says.
In the winter the peak season in Goa, especially between Christmas and New Year's Eve cavort usually thousands of people. According to the Ministry of Tourism in Delhi each year more than 2.5 million people to Goa, the smallest of Indian states, including 400,000 from abroad.
Goa is particularly so for the British and the Israelis beliebt
In the sixties, hippies discovered Goa from all over the world as an ideal place to free love to practice under the palms. Today there are still a few old and neo-hippies encountered, but today many couples and families, the cold days in Europe to escape and prefer a sunny want to celebrate Christmas.
This year everything is different. "We feel the consequences of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai," says Nandini, a guest house in the village Talpona operates. In the well 600 kilometers north of Goa lying metropolis murdered a group of ten terrorists, at least 172 people, including 26 foreigners. The bombers, all intelligence under the Islamists, it had mainly to Americans, Britons and Jews apart.
Photo: AFPVideo: Reuters Especially with the British and the Israelis but Goa is very popular as a tourist destination. "Sure, that will no longer come," said Yashpal waiter. "We have virtually no restaurant visitors, and our five guest rooms are empty," says Nandini Gastronom. "All the bookings, we had have been canceled." Nandini, who comes from Nepal, and how most people in Goa only during peak season as a restaurateur, has now lowered the prices for one night only now he asks for 500 rupees, which is approximately 7.50 euros, one third of this Time usual price. "But even if we do not take money, we would not help - there are simply no tourists."
As Nandini not only have many hotel operators, but also airlines responded: Prices for tickets within India have increased by more than 15 percent - but the planes themselves are now usually sold out on routes like New Delhi or Mumbai to Goa hardly full. The domestic passenger traffic is first figures in December, according to 30 percent below the previous month. Aviation minister Praful Patel, and therefore calls for the further decline in oil prices.
Ruiniertes Image
The reputation of Goa has increased in recent months, but also suffered from other reasons: About the rape and murder of a British girl in February was in the British press reported. And the son of the education minister of Goa, in October, a 14-year-old from Germany have abused. He sees this as a campaign of political opponents of his father to "the good name of my family's dirty," and rejects all allegations of itself.
"Such stories have the image of Goa as a safe destination ruined," says Richard Gaywood. "It is only just managed to Goa's reputation as a hippie stronghold halfway and get rid of drugs." The London operates a decade, together with his wife Julia inn Home. "These cases, the global economic crisis, which a few weeks ago is still very high fares, and now even the terror of Mumbai make the industry to create much," he says.
News about the claim by hardliners in the Indian government on the terror of Mumbai with military strikes against Pakistan to respond to provide an additional uncertainty. "Sure, that in this situation more and more people consider whether they really leave in India want to do," says Gaywood. "Yet we had just hit by the tsunami in December 2004, is recovering." Although the coast of Goa in western India hit by the tsunami was not affected, then did the visitors.
Throughout the country, tourism is going to be in the main season caved: hotels, inns and guest houses in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh in reporting revenue declines. India has in recent years invested billions of rupees, has built new airports, private airlines as a competitor to the state admitted that Holperwegen roads and made sure that at least for attractive tourist cities halfway clean image.
Around 50 million people work in India in the tourism industry. "The current situation is a disaster for us," said a senior official in the Indian Ministry of Tourism. "The image of the laboriously worked out attractive travel destination, India is of a few terrorists within a few hours have been destroyed."
Patrols on surfboards
Fearing terrorist attacks, the government of Goa now for the period 23 December to the 5th January beach parties prohibited. There is the danger that terrorists from the Goa coast from attack would be, says the head of the federal government Digamber KAMAT. Helicopters of the Indian Navy is patrolling the coast, the army has 25 lone skillfully on surfboards. Against heavily armed terrorists, they are not likely to be able to, but it makes her appearance on the beaches for the feeling that something is done.
ON TO ONLINE photo blogs haul: Empty hippie paradise in the country on alert: India fears new terrorist attacks (06.12.2008) in Mumbai terror series: The Pakistan Connection (03.12.2008) attack on Mumbai: Proceedings of a murderous campaign (01.12.2008) Destination Asia: Thailand and India, fearing long-term losses (02.12.2008) at the end of terror: Mumbai ventures back into the normality (29.11.2008) Mumbai attacks: Why not India anti-terror strategy (28.11.2008) India: beehive Mumbai (03.11.2008) South India: Damn all bliss (04.01.2008) beaches of Goa: Legacy of the flower children (07.03.2007) The restaurateurs want to celebrate anyway. In North Goa, some tents now a few meters from the beach up, there will now be the Christmas and New Year's Eve parties increase. "The place of celebration is not the beach," said a hotelier. "The fact that our guests could enter the beach, and we can not prevent."
On the beach of Patner security forces have a shooting from sandbags set up. But no one monitors the beach, the white man is orphaned and high wall there. After they had been erected, the soldiers withdrew again. There is a lack of personnel.
In the shadow of this wall are the dogs of Patner. At 35 degrees Celsius is still a very welcoming place.
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