Subletting beach shacks hurts business, say owners

Calangute: Shack operators have admitted that subletting of beach shacks to non-Goans has accelerated the decline in their business and quality standards. According to them, the locals have been subletting shacks to people from other states and are enjoying the high rents they get. The business starts to dwindle when the tourist season comes to a close.

“Cruz Cardozo (president of the Shack Owners Welfare Society) and I have been telling govt to stop giving licences to those who are subletting, because then the shacks will be available to those who genuinely want to run them,” said John Lobo, general secretary of the Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS).

Close to 150 out of 200 shacks in Calangute-Candolim area have already been shut down, because of the absence of foreign tourists. “The remaining 50 shacks are in Baga, Calangute main beach and Candolim promenade, and they will do good business because domestic tourists increase in May,” Lobo told TOI.

In 2025, the tourism department cracked down on subleasing of shacks and moved to cancel licences of beach shacks that were being sublet to non-Goans.

Manuel Cardozo, president of the Traditional Shack Owners Association, questioned why the shacks are still operational when there is no business. “There are 18 shacks allotted in Tivaiwaddo. They all shut down 15 days ago. Whatever business will be there till the end of the season, there’s business only where the main beach entrances are,” said Cardozo.

“Because of the Iran and Ukraine wars, foreign tourists have stopped coming. Fuel prices have shot up and it’s become expensive to fly. Foreign tourists are also largely winter visitors, so there’s nothing unusual in shacks closing. It’s in areas like Tivaiwaddo, Gauravaddo and parts of Candolim where the shacks receive mostly foreign tourists that have closed My shack is in Baga and I mostly get domestic tourists because there’s road access,” added Lobo.