Beer, whiskey top picks for tourists in Goa; wine 2nd choice: Study

Panaji, July 25

Beer and whiskey top the list of favourite alcoholic drinks for male tourists visiting Goa, while beer is the top go-to drink, followed by wine for women visitors to the coastal state, a study has revealed.

The latest study conducted by the Goa University on the alcoholic preferences of tourists visiting the state has also said that 16.3 per cent of male tourists visiting the state consume alcohol daily, while only 5 per cent of women visitors consume alcohol each day.

The study titled “The impact of tourists’ socio-demographic on the choice of alcohol and choice of drinkscapes” has been conducted by Edgar Philip DSouza, M.S Dayanand and Nilesh Borde, faculty at Goa University.

The study, which has been published in the latest edition of the international journal ‘Revista de Turism’, is based on interviews conducted with 962 domestic tourists visiting Goa, a state known for its liberal excise regime, which makes alcohol easily available at cheaper rates.

“The results showed a strong association between gender, age and income with the choice of alcohol and the choice of drinkscapes,” the study said.

“In terms of the choice of alcoholic beverages preferred by the tourists, it was observed that beer was the most preferred alcoholic beverage, followed by whiskey. The other popular beverages included wine, vodka and rum,” it said.

According to the study, whiskey is the most preferred alcohol among males (37.9 per cent), followed by beer (29.1 per cent), whereas females preferred beer (28.6 per cent), followed by wine (20.4 per cent).

In an analysis carried out to identify the choice of alcohol vis-a-vis age groups, the study revealed that for those in the age group of 18-30 years, beer is the most preferred alcohol followed by vodka.

Beer is the top alcohol choice for those in the age group of 31-40 years, followed by whiskey.

“However, as the age group increases, it is observed that whiskey is the most preferred alcohol, followed by beer,” the study said.

As far as overall preference percentages go, beer is the most preferred drink among tourists visiting Goa, with 29 per cent expressing their preference for it, followed by whiskey at 23 per cent, wine at 11 per cent, vodka at 10 per cent, while only nine per cent of the domestic tourists prefer rum.

Goa’s homegrown alcohol, the traditionally manufactured cashew ‘feni’, ranks way below in the pecking order as far as the palette of domestic tourists is concerned.

“Among the lesser preferred alcohols were gin at 7 per cent, cocktails at 4 per cent, brandy at 3 per cent, feni, which is the local alcoholic beverage of Goa, at 2 per cent, followed by tequila and liqueurs at 1 per cent,” the study revealed.

Knocking down a few drinks at the restaurant table is most favoured by tourists when it comes to places to consume alcohol followed by pubs or taverns or beach shacks.

“The most popular drinkscape preferred by the tourists for consuming alcohol is restaurants (28 per cent), followed by pubs or taverns (19 per cent) and beach shacks (17 per cent).

“The other popular drinkscapes in order of popularity are discotheques and karaoke bars (8 per cent each), lounges (6 per cent), hotels and upscale bars (3 per cent each), alcohol events/festivals (2 per cent) and tasting rooms (1 per cent),” the study said.

–IANS