PANJIM: After a lean 2016-16 season, Goa expects to receive about 1000
charter flights this season, an increase of 27 percent over last season,
because of an uptick in demand in Russia, which is the main foreign source
market for the State.
Last season, the State received 783 international flights between
October 2015 and April 2016 — the lowest in five years. This was 11 percent
lower than the 862 flights it received in 2014-15 season. But, travel demand is
picking up and the State has benefited particularly because of a ban in Russia
on travel to Egypt.
“We are expecting about 1,000 chartered flights this winter. The first
flight carrying about 500 Russian tourists arrived on Sunday. We will be
receiving flights from Russia, Britain, Finland and Dubai,” Goa Airport
Director B C H Negi was quoted as saying by agencies.
“Last year we witnessed a slowdown in arrivals from Russia. The closure
of Transaero airline also led to cancellations. Despite an increase in tour
costs, we are expecting 10-15 percent increase in the number of Russian
tourists,” Aloo Gomes Pereira, chief operating officer (charters), Trail Blazer
Tours India.
“The sentiment is positive compared to last year. However, we could see
decline in traffic if Egypt opens up again to Russians,” said Bharat Atree,
managing director of Caper Travels.
Russia and Britain are the top source markets for Goa, contributing
around 60 percent of foreign tourist arrivals. In 2014, Russian tourists
accounted for 29 percent of all foreign tourists in Goa, down from 33 percent
in the two preceding years. In the last season, depreciation of the rouble and
closure of two tour operators — Labirint and Neva — had impacted arrivals.
Weakness of the Russian economy continued to impact demand, but tensions in
Russia-Egypt relations following an air crash and suspension of Russian flights
to Egypt benefited the State.
