Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa is set for a new tourism season which will kick off from October 2, when the first chartered flight from Concord Exotic Voyages (P) Ltd with 500 Russian tourists onboard will land in the State. The tourists will be welcomed by Tourism Department officials.
The tourism industry is expecting over 900 charter flights during the season, as per slots booked at Dabolim airport till March 31, 2017.
However, the government will allot shacks licences by October 15. The government has also decided to go ahead with the existing Shack Policy, as the new policy is awaiting cabinet approval.
“It is for the first time in more than ten years that a chartered flight with tourists has come as early as the first week of October,” Sheikh Ismail, General Manager of the company handling the charter said in a statement issued on Friday.
The arrival of the flight will make Goa keep its date of October 2 to start the tourist season, as the industry had feared postponement of the season’s start to October 15, after a flight from Dubai, which was suppose to land in Goa on Sunday was cancelled.
“The Fly Dubai flight which was supposed to carry passengers who had arrived from Russian to Dubai has been cancelled,” Savio Messias, President, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), said.
In the last tourist season, 842 chartered flights had arrived bringing in tourists. Also more than 55,000 e-visas had been issued with Russian travellers being highest availing of this facility.
A total of 52,97,902 tourists visited Goa in 2015-16 which includes 47,56,422 domestic tourists and 5,41,480 foreign tourists. While the State recorded an overall 30.54 per cent increase in tourist arrivals for the season, domestic tourist arrivals were up by 34 percent and foreign tourist arrivals up by 5.4 percent.
