Despite a poor tourist season, the State witnessed a 24 per cent rise in the number of chartered flights. Stakeholders also claim there was an increase in the number of domestic tourists visiting the state.

As per details recorded by the Tourism Department, a total of 988 chartered flights landed in Goa with the highest 614 from Russia. A total of 2,32,679 international tourists arrived from October 2016 to May 14, 2017. The data further indicates that 168 chartered flights from Ukraine, 156 from the UK, and 12 came in from Finland. Two other countries, Iran and Kazakhstan sent 19 chartered flights each while not a single flight came in from Lithuania.

The domestic tourists contributed a large share of the arrivals and their numbers sustain the trade during the monsoons otherwise known as the off-season period.

Speaking about the chartered flights this year, Bush Miranda, MD at Cicerone Air Transport Services Pvt. Ltd said “Yes, this year there were no chartered flights from Germany but we had Germans coming in via scheduled flights. They came in via Dubai and Qatar.

For the chartered operators the pricing was just not attractive. Emirates uses the A 380 and operates six flights from Frankfurt and four from Munich. I cannot give you numbers of how many Germans came to Goa, because I don’t have them but I am working on something concrete for the next season. I hope to use Finnair which will be flying to Goa in the forthcoming season. Perhaps Germans can use it to visit Goa. With regards to Russia, 38 charter flights were cancelled because Turkey opened up and it is closer and perhaps cheaper.”