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India bans Goa beach parties in wake of Mumbai attacks
Indian authorities have banned Christmas and New Year parties on Goa's beaches because of security fears following the Mumbai attacks.
"No party will be allowed in the open on any beach of Goa between December 23 and January 5," Kishan Kumar, the inspector general of police in Goa, said on Saturday.
"Obviously there is a security threat, but we cannot say anything more specific at the moment," he told Reuters.
The decision, after several days of uncertainty, is a blow to the former Portuguese colony, whose year-end parties are a big draw for foreign visitors. Some 2.6 million tourists visit Goa each year, including about 400,000 foreign visitors from colder climes keen to soak up winter sun on the state's long, sandy beaches.
Goa's reputation has suffered this year after a string of high-profile crimes, including the death of a British teenager which lifted the lid on a culture of drink and drugs and prompted concerns about safety. Tourist arrivals have fallen 20 per cent since last month's attacks in Mumbai, said Ralf D'Souza, the president of the Tour and Travel Association of Goa.
At least 179 people were killed in Mumbai last month in an attack, which India has blamed on Islamist militants from Pakistan. The attacks prompted a tightening of security around the country, especially in coastal areas following the attacks in Mumbai, in which militants used a sea route to reach India.
As officials in Goa announced stricter security measures, final preparations were taking place in Mumbai on Saturday for the re-opening of the two luxury hotels stormed by Islamist militants last month. Amid tight security and pledges to return to business as usual, the modern Tower wing of the Taj Mahal hotel and all of the nearby Trident prepared to re-open on Sunday.
Guests will begin checking in at the Trident from Sunday morning, while more than 1,000 key clients and guests have been invited for a private reception at the Taj before an evening re-opening, officials at both hotels said.
No date has yet been set for the re-opening of the Trident's adjoining Oberoi hotel, which was more badly damaged during the siege. Its whitewashed, sea-facing facade remains riddled with bullet holes.
The 105-year-old palace wing of the Taj, which was badly damaged by fire and gunshots during the 60-hour siege, is also closed, pending painstaking renovations to ornate wood and marblework and lavish furnishings.