Al Qaeda threat in Goa is Rajasthan's gain

Varanasi, Dec 21 (UNI) A concrete threat of Al Qaeda attack in Goa has prompted tourists from Israel and other countries here to shift their Christmas and New Year trance parties from the sandy beaches of Panaji to the infectious desert of Rajasthan.

A large number of guest houses hosting Israeli, European, US and South East Asian tourists here have confirmed that following the security advisory issued by Jerusalem, the backpackers especially Israelis have cancelled their plans of bidding adieu to 2006 with oomphy trance parties in Goa.

''They have either moved to Rajasthan or are in the process of travelling over to various tourist hotspots of the desert state, including Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Puskar and Udaipur,'' said Badri Babu, manager of Puja Guest House in the riverine locality of Lalita Ghat.

The administration Shanti Guest House edging the Manikarnika Ghat claimed that over 750 tourists mostly Israelis and those from UK, US and Australia following the Israeli government advisory have left for Rajasthan to celebrate the Christmas and New Year.

''Generally the foreign tourists especially Israilis coming to Varanasi, leave two weeks prior to Christmas for Rajasthan and from there they travel to Goa just before the twin festivities. This time, however, the tourists have either extended their Rajasthan stay till the New Year or have cancelled their ticket from Jaipur to Goa following the Al Qaeda attack threat,'' said Anshu, the manager of Shanti Guest House.

The silk traders dealing largely with Israeli tourists in the localities edging the Ganga river in Varanasi also confirm the change of New Year celebrations plans among Israelis. ''The switchover from Goa to Rajasthan as the right destination for X-mas and New Year celebrations is more prominent among the middle-aged and elderly Israelis than the young tourists who form the bulk of backpackers in Varanasi,'' said Kanhaiyya, the owner of Baba Silk House in Meer Ghat locality.

The tourists from Israel, themselves appear jittery, when asked about their plans to travel to Goa following the security alert issued by their government. While Hela, a business profesional from Tel Aviv has postponed her New Year plans in Goa from the last week of December to second week of the New Year, a student from the same Israeli city, Yaron has cancelled his trip to Goa for Rajasthan. His compatriot Elad is bound for Pune to relish Christmas and New Year.

''The Israelis alongwith Indians are the prime targets of Al Qaeda and allied terror outfits and hence we are not going to take chances by travelling to Goa for X-Mas and New Year. May be we can relish the seaside sunshine in Panaji early next year,'' all three of them staying in Shanti Guest House.

''A X-mas and New Year on the camel back in Jaiselmer sounds no less exciting than sizzling trance parties on the seaside in Panaji,''they added.

The Israeli government recently asked its citizens not to travel to Goa during the next few weeks in view of 'concrete' threats of an Al-Qaeda attack there. ''In light of terrorist threats by Al-Qaeda in India, a concrete threat now exists specifically for Goa, which hosts many tourists, including Israelis, during late December and over the civil New Year,'' the National Security Council Counter Terrorism Headquarters in Israel had said.

''Those travelling to Goa in the next few weeks will be under serious threat of Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks,'' the advisory had added.

A lot of Israelis visit Goa towards the end of December and early January to attend trance parties.

Nearly four lakh tourists flock to Goa's beaches and palm groves during the peak October-March season.

Last month, authorities in Goa had decided to strengthen security in Goa after intelligence agencies warned of a ''Bali-like'' attack, referring to the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people, including many foreigners.

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