Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act amendment worries e-travel firms

An industry source said the Act would create high-entry barriers for new service providers and limit customer choice

A recent amendment in the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, which has made it compulsory for online travel aggregators and hotels to register their business to continue operations, has raised concern among the sector.

The amendment, which has been notified in the official gazette, is expected to negatively affect online travel firms such as MakeMyTrip, Oyo and Airbnb, raising their compliance costs and setting a precedent that other tourism-heavy states may look to emulate. Companies said they were still studying the Act, which was passed on January 31. “While we are taking up this bill through industry bodies, we