The hospitality industry has been under tremendous pressure over the last couple of years thanks to the Covid 19 virus and then to the variants that wreaked havoc. Domestic and international tourists generally stayed away leaving the industry on its knees. Jobs were lost in their thousands and several hotels and restaurants shut shop. This season was better thanks to the surge in the number of domestic tourists who came into the state. Determined to have a good time, many came in from cities as diverse as Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru as many young people, couples and families decided to come over to get over the negative state of mind. That was heaven sent so to speak. It sent a surge of electricity through the system and brought back jobs and a sense of relief to the industry. There was greater joy when news trickled in that charter flights from traditional markets like Russia and Kazakhstan would resume. Flights resumed without a doubt, though not with the regularity of old. It was a case of something was better than nothing. Then the Russia and Ukraine conflict came from the backburner. The Russo-Ukrainian War is an ongoing and protracted conflict that started in February 2014, primarily involving Russia and pro-Russian forces on one hand, and Ukraine on the other. The war has centered on the status of Crimea and parts of the Donbas, which are largely internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. The Americans and NATO are flexing their muscles and trying to convince President Vladimir Putin to not go ahead with his plans to annex Ukraine. It has to be remembered that Russia and other CIS states are important markets for the Goan tourism industry. Has this problem created problems for the business?
Savio Messias, a hotelier and a former head of TTAG, said business had certainly been affected. He said the number of flights from Kazakhstan had reduced to a very small number. He said “It has been reduced to one or two every week. That is a dramatic drop. It has been pretty bad and charters are out of the question. Now with just two months left for the season, it does not make sense for any operator to put in the effort to generate business because that would mean an investment in aircrafts and staff. The situation in England is improving but one should not expect anything this season. The international season as we know it is at very low ebb”
One of the big time operators in the state, Ernest Dias, Vice President Kuoni Travel India (Pvt) Ltd said they were now receiving a flight from Russia once every ten days. He said “It is a flight that brings in 520 passengers. Several charters are coming together to make this happen. The problems in Kazakhstan that led to political unrest resulted in one charter operator pulling out and the one stopping operations. This cannot be called a season.” He however expressed optimism at the future saying that the next season would be good. He said he had already received instructions from operators in Russia to commence negotiations with hotels and other suppliers for the season next year. They were, he said, looking forward to receiving the rates to start selling them in the market. Sheikh Ismail of Concord Exotic Voyages said business was fine and they were receiving a flight every ten days. He said “We have so far received six flights from Dec 30 with each flight carrying five hundred and twenty two passengers. We are not affected by any of the problems there and we are confident it will be good for us”.
Abida Kumar, VP Operations of Minar Travels (India) Pvt. Ltd said business was undoubtedly slow with just one flight every ten days. Flights she said Kazakhstan had been stopped and they were looking at the new season. Work she said would commence after April and she hoped business would be much better in the next season.
That is a sentiment everyone in the industry will hope comes true because the foreign tourist with his or her spending power is like the proverbial icing on the cake.
