Serafino Cota looked forlorn at the edge of his 18-room hotel, standing a stone’s throw away from south Goa’s Cavelossim beach. His once-vibrant Dona Maria Sa hotel has been closed since March, when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to arrest the spread of Covid-19, and fear of the virus drove tourists away from the dunes of the beach, once a favourite haunt of foreigners.
December and January were his busiest months, but this year he’s written off this season, saying it will be better to reopen by October. Still, he is unsure if his pristine property overlooking the ocean, far from the noisy beaches of north Goa, will generate enough revenue to pay salaries and running costs.
“Even before the lockdown, tourism was…