Hotels are full, but partners' coffers empty! - DQ Channels India

Tourists have already arrived in Goa for the Christmas season filling up hotel rooms. But a cheque for Rs 4,000 given by a

hotel owner to a partner for his services bounced!

Another star hotel which owes money to a partner to the tune of Rs 2,00,000 for the past two years, is arguing that the

partner had charged higher rates and hence, should reduce the bill to get the payment. The payment has been

made but through PDCs!

Partners are under pressure in Goa as business continues to be dull. "The wait and watch approach which we have been

adopting for the past three years continues. It's a case of the survival of the fittest," says FL Gomes of GE

Marketing.

Meanwhile, the State Government has put the supply of Cyberage PCs to students on hold because it has found the

quotations to be on the higher side. "This development has turned out to be good for partners. 

IfGovernment PCs had reached homes, buying from partners would have completely

stopped," points out Sanjay Naik of Compuserve.

Partners hope that Intel's Digital PC Party in the first week of December would stimulate demand in the market. Around the

same time, the Goa Chamber of Commerce is organizing an event in collaboration with the State

Government to attract investments in the State.

The training industry is in doldrums in Goa. Ealier, there used to be training institutes every nook and corner, majority of which

have now closed down with adverse impact on partners' business.

With the Christmas season round the corner, partners do not expect business to pick up in December as end-users would be

busy in festival-related shopping. They are looking at the new calendar year in general, and JFM '03

in particular with optimism. "We are hoping that sales would pick up from January. Government buying too should go up otherwise the fund

allocated for the financial year would lapse by March 31st," opines Dhiren Mehta of

Magnamious Computers.

SYLVESTER LOBO