The monsoons are done for the year and it is the time when that most important revenue earner for the state, the foreign tourist makes a stop on the shores of Goa. Last year the international tourist, namely the Russian tourist stayed away due to the problems with the rouble and the Russian adventure in Ukraine. The economic malaise in the rest of Europe meant the number of tourists dropped drastically. Now with the season set to commence shortly an assortment of views were sought regarding the possible course this season would take.
The views expressed depended on which side of the table they sat.
Francisco Braganza President TTAG felt the season would all depend on the currency of the country from where the traveller was coming. He said “The pound is strong and I expect the British tourists to come in large numbers. The world market is very competitive and there are several other destinations which are very attractive. Goa, however has always benefited from the misfortune of others. Flights that would have gone to Syria may now come to Goa. Goa is no longer the destination people want to go to, so we will have to wait and watch. People from Western Europe may come here”.
With regards to the Russians he believed there was a question mark. He said “They do not plan long term in these matters and it is always decided at the last minute. The final passenger list comes just before the flight is scheduled to take off.”
Bush Miranda, managing director at Cicerone Air Transport Services Pvt Ltd, Margao said the number of international tourists coming into the state would be the same as last year. The English, Russians and the Finns would make up the majority of the international travellers. There would, he said, be a smattering of Iran who usually come in March.
There would be 55 flights operated out of Russia by Pegasus. Asked what his forecast for the season was he said “We have to bear the brunt of the recession till 2017 and grit our teeth. The E visa facility extended to the UK is a boon and I hope people come. It was given to Poland too but it was quite late. There will be 4 scheduled flights from the UK operated by Thomas Cook and I hope this season will be better than last year”.
Ekaterina Belyakova formerly of the Russian Information Centre citing a report from the Russian tourism website tourdom.ru said the tour operator Pegast would have a flight every 10 days as opposed 3 flights every week last season. Coral and Anex will share a flight which will land in Goa twice a week as opposed to three times a week last season.
Transaero will come three times week a drop of one flight. Worryingly the plane is expected to be less than capacity and not confirmed as yet. The company is almost bankrupt and was sold to Aeroflot for a rouble.
There could be some good news on the horizon from East Europe with Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia expected to send charter flights to the state in December. The first charter flight from Latvia will land in Goa on December 10, 2015. In all, there are likely to be six charter flights emanating from Riga this season, with 180 passengers in each inbound flight. Approximately 1000 pax are expected to visit Goa this season from these countries.
The hoteliers in the state believe that it will be the domestic tourist who will spare them the blushes.
Siddharth Savkur GM of Alila Diwa commended the government for the initiatives like the e visa and the drop in visa fees for UK visitors which could make it attractive again but at the end of the day it was always the domestic tourist which would the king. Tourists from Poland, South Africa, CIS countries and the Middle-East could come making the season interesting but the domestic tourist was very important.
Another hotelier Yash Virgincar of Woodland said “I have foreigners who come every year like these scientists from the US and other regulars from the UK but the domestic tourist is our focus undoubtedly”.
Agnes D’Costa of Zuri White Sands said the international tourist came every year were always welcome but the domestic tourist was an important group which was a very significant portion of the pie.
At the end of this season perhaps it would make sense to see who was accurate in their assessment of the season. And the most interesting space to watch is the foreign versus desi tourist arrivals. Right now, for the desperate tourism mandarins, everyone is welcome.
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Goa Tourism is very optimistic that foreign tourists will take advantage of this E Tourist Visa (ETV) facility which will give easy access to Goa and help them fly straight to Goa this coming season. ETV regime has been extended to foreign nationals from 113 countries. It is likely to go up further bringing in its ambit around 150 countries within a few months. While the geo-political scenario and recessions across the globe are still creating issues and affecting travel plans for many, we are hopeful that foreign tourists from Europe will form a major chunk of footfalls to Goa. We are also eyeing a better response from UK from November 2015 as Thomas Cook is launching direct flights four times a week from Gatwick to Goa
– Ameya Abhyankar, Director, Goa Tourism
Adventure initiatives will be big draws: Abhyankar
