As the new tourism season approaches, Goa is gearing up to
welcome charter tourists from Moscow on October 1. The roster includes charters
from Russia, the UK, Kazakhstan, and Israel. Although last season’s attempts to
engage with Israeli tour operators yielded no results, there’s confidence this
season will fare better.
“We are confident about receiving charters from Israel
in the new season, though our talks fizzled out last year,” said Sheikh
Ismail, senior vice-president of Concord, while speaking to a section of a
press.
In the past, Goa had experienced a golden period of charter
tourism between 2012-13 and 2018-19 when footfall consistently surpassed 2.5
lakh tourists annually.
Ernest Dias, Chief Operating Officer at Sita Travels, shares
the optimism, stating “everything looks good.” However, he cautiously
awaits developments, with his focus on Russia boosting the numbers due to
limited travel options caused by ongoing conflicts.
Despite challenges posed by the pandemic in recent seasons,
Goa excelled domestically while foreign footfalls remained low. The upcoming
season serves as a litmus test for both the trade and tourism department’s
strategies.
The tourism industry has high hopes for the FIT segment’s
growth, especially with the inauguration of the Manohar International Airport
at Mopa.
An unnamed tour operator emphasized, “We will gauge
Goa’s international standing and the effectiveness of the tourism department’s
strategies.” Should foreign footfalls persistently decline, the Goa
Tourism Board might need to reevaluate its approach, considering that exploring
new markets usually takes two to three years to show impact.
