Goa, India (CNN) — In July, as the Covid-19 threat subsided, the Goa government announced a few months of blockade, and the popular Indian country was opened to domestic tourists.
Since then, thousands of tourists have flocked to this safe beach paradise. When the party returned to Goa, the traffic jam during the day was restored and the decibel level of the local nightclub had increased.
However, this destination was once associated with hedonism and fanatical business tourism, and returned to the original way without thinking of the negative economic, environmental and social impacts?
This team of more than 20 travel businesses was established in 201
Here, we will study the products of several of these companies in more depth and understand how they worked to reinvent Goa.
Pay attention to the dolphin watching method
The Terra Conscious Ocean Biodiversity Experience Tour includes dolphin watching.
Ulrich Muller / Terra Conscious
Its most popular is the marine biodiversity experience, which includes watching dolphins, which takes about three hours.
After dawn, we sailed into the mouth of the Chapora River in a shallow fisherman boat, and then went out to sea.
Mitra provided a fascinating briefing on the Indian Ocean humpback dolphins-even using a stuffed dolphin as a demonstration prop.
But when we enter deeper waters, we are not encountering dolphins. Under the water surface are many jellyfish.
Mitra said that due to global warming, the number of plankton near the coast is increasing, and their predators (sunfish and sea turtles) are declining for the same reason, and they attract them.
Mitra said: “We need to treat the marine ecosystem as an interconnected world, where everything will affect everything else, rather than exist in isolation.”
After some time, as mammals searched for prey in the ocean, grey and pink flashes appeared. They rise to the surface and move so fast that it is difficult to catch a short glimpse, but these beautiful residents so close to the depths are exciting.
The boatman did not try to chase them and trigger a pressure reaction.
Mitra explained that Terra Conscious has partnered with operators of traditional dolphin watching boats to provide them with a larger business scope while raising operating standards to comply with the globally recognized ethics of conducting such trips.
But its most innovative plan may be a partnership with the Goa Forest Department, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) India, and Drishti Marine Services, in which the company reports (if possible) the rescue of the ocean Creatures, which put many creatures in Goa into trouble on the beach.
The specific responsibility of Terra Conscious and IUCN is to coordinate operations on a daily basis, and the two teams also maintain a stranded database, which is regularly submitted to the Ministry of Forestry.
Fresh food, fresh ideas
Prana Cafe in Goa offers dishes made with local organic ingredients.
Courtesy of Prana Cafe
Some restaurants in Goa are also answering calls to make a greater commitment to sustainable development.
Founder Vikram Malaney said: “The concept of Prana is firstly related to absolutely fresh food (never stored for a day), and secondly to the use of locally sourced organic The raw material is overwhelming.
Dishes range from delicious prawn dumplings seasoned with ginger and garlic to hummus and couscous salad. The innovative smoothie is made from unique ingredients such as goji berries, almond milk and dates.
The cafe itself is located in a towering thatched house, built in the traditional Tamil Nadu coastal style, using only wood and palm leaves instead of concrete or nails. Solar panels are used to heat water.
Scattered throughout the space are creative works of art invited by the artist to participate in his annual artist retreat.
It hosts a farmers’ market once a week, and once a month invites guests to participate in beach clean-up activities.
The profits are donated through the Family Foundation to sponsor educational films on environmental issues and provide free consulting services for local NGOs who need help in conceptualizing, implementing and monitoring projects.
Rich local experience
Let it happen in Goa’s colorful Fontainhas neighborhood offering guided walks.
By making it happen
Goa has a long cultural heritage, derived from Hindu, Muslim and Christian rule under Portuguese rule for centuries. This fact is often overlooked by the crowds rushing to the beaches and casinos.
Victor firmly believes in community-based tourism, which means “making it a reality” will do for the local economy through its livelihood activities (visiting cafes and restaurants on the way and supporting local musicians and dancers) Contribute.
Victor said: “We carefully plan our life experiences and interact with everyone on the journey.”
Its flagship tour is to walk through Fontainhas, the largest and oldest Panjim Latin Quarter in Asia.
Fontainhas is named after the tiny springs that bubbling at the bottom of the Altinho hill. Its narrow streets are full of upright balconies with wrought iron railings, and the walls are decorated with rich colors from yellow to magenta, which is pleasant.
On a recent trip, our young guide provided us with typical Goan desserts at the awesome bakery on January 31. The subsequent trip ended at another cafe, Nostalgia, where local musician Maxie conducted us Affectionate “Ipanema Girl” interprets Miranda
Our second cultural trip was a cross-country motorcycle tour of Divar Island, a large riverside island on the Mandovi River. Here is a Goan village that has been deeply entangled with its past. This is all attempts by 6,000 residents to connect them to the mainland through bridges.
We pushed our bicycles onto a dilapidated old car ferry, passed through Mandovi, and were transported to a peaceful rice field, winding roads and beautiful churches.
The verdant island is full of fascinating traces of Indian civilization, which was obliterated under Portuguese rule, including hidden idol caves and ancient temple sites. After three hours of exploration, the delicious vegetarian meal at Devayaa Resort is a happy ending to this trip.
Educational Adventure
Konkan Explorers offers tours of the beautiful mangroves of Goa.
Ranjan Pal
He told CNN: “As a trained anthropologist, I am always attracted by the complex relationship between Indians and the natural world, and as a trained sailor, I can learn from Sailing experience growing up in a sailing family in Marseille.” Travel.
“The Kangkang Explorer is an obvious way for me to combine these two passions.”
We boarded the small custom-designed glass-fiber mangrove dinghy of the Chopdem ferry. As the tide flows, we will soon sail to the Chapora River to resist the tide.
Protection is part of the packaging, and the solar panels on the hood provide power for running navigation equipment and marine toilets.
We cruise along for about an hour, then land the anchor in the midstream near a large mangrove swamp, climb there on the adventure kayak sitting on top, and sail to the swamp.
Soon, we were engulfed by a mysterious shaded green world, the gray langur monkeys were gone, and the mangrove crabs crawled down the rough tree trunks. The water here is very shallow, and Ribo jumped down at a certain point for a microbiology lesson.
Some of us followed suit and got caught in the nutrient-rich black sludge. Ribo encouraged us to apply plasters on our faces and arms until it looked like an invisible commando.
Then, go back to the mothership and prepare for the time to board the stand-up paddle board.
The whole journey is interesting and fulfilling. The crew is very professional. Ribo provides detailed knowledge-based briefings to ensure a positive experience of water.
Behind the scenes, Konkan Explorers is committed to protecting the environment in which it operates, and all crew members participate in river cleanup work every two weeks. The crew brings local school children together twice a year to educate the locals about the importance of protecting the area.
Luxury in the natural environment
Cabo Serai’s cabin has easy access to the sea.
Offered by Cabo Serai
The magnificent villa is equipped with a variety of luxurious facilities and has easy access to the sea. This steep black cliff fills the secluded cove. Built on stilts and high ground to minimize the structural impact on the jungle environment, all constructions are made with wood and natural materials (such as laterite, mud and coconut thatch).
The copper dispenser is filled with water to eliminate single-use plastic, and waste is carefully managed through garbage sorting and composting.
“At Cabo Serai, we are proud to inject a culture of mindfulness into our employees and products, which allows us to provide guests with a truly healthy and sustainable experience,” explained Trupti Wesley, the resort director.
The commitment to sustainability extends to the resort’s restaurant menu. The dishes are prepared with fresh local seasonal ingredients.
In terms of community participation, Cabo Serai hired a large number of employees from surrounding villages to organize beach cleaning activities and disinfect and feed stray dogs near the resort.
For those who want to explore, Cabo Serai offers some very interesting walks with panoramic views of the cliffs, including a leading to the distant Cabo De Rama fort (one of the five main forts in Goa).
It was built by the Hindu dynasty of Sondu Soonda and was taken by the invading Portuguese in 1763, who used it as the main fortress for coastline defense. The huge fortress has been reduced to ruins. There is nothing else except the city wall and a few iron cannons, but it offers unobstructed views of the Arabian Sea and has a small church built for Saint Anthony.
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