The tourism season is going down from bad to worst with the time. Every year the foreigner’s inflow is diminishing and the quality tourism is getting diluted. This year the charter tour operators in Goa have developed some faith in the tourist inflow from Poland and Ukraine. The season this year is supposed to be kicking off from October Instead of November in the earlier years, said the sources.
According to the sources, the first charter flight in Goa is supposed to land in the month of October this year and overall the charter operators are expecting the reasonably good start this season going by the bookings they have received so far. On another positive note, charters from Poland are restarting after a gap of five years. “So far, the bookings have been satisfactory,” said Ernest Dias, chief operating officer (CEO) at Sita Travels.
Confirming the arrival of charters from Poland in the upcoming tourist season, Dias said one charter from Poland will land in Goa every ten days. During the past few years, Goa has been steadily receiving regular charter flights from the UK but very few from Finland.
There were various reasons the Goan charter operators were losing business to the rival beach destinations like Sri Lanka and Thailand due to the waiver in Visa fees for the tourists but now the situation is not same anymore and the central government has already announced huge reduction in E-Visa fees.
This makes a huge difference to budget tourists and is a long-awaited move, say charter operators. The reduction in e-visa fees, will especially help the tourists coming from the Russian market, said Dias.
Another operator, Sheik Ismail, vice president of Concord Exotic Voyages, told TOI that their first charter will arrive on October 13 and that the numbers of bookings this year seem quite heartening.
Meanwhile the head of Trail Blazer India (TBI) Pvt. Ltd. in Goa, Mr. Aloo Gomes Pereira said that he is expecting a good number of charter tourists from Ukraine this year. During the last four years, Goa has seen a rise in arrivals from Ukraine, he added.
According to Mr. Pereira, the charter operators have been disappointed in the past due to the sudden drop in charters from Russia in the year 2018-19. “Goa has probably lost its appeal for Russians. There is also some uncertainty involved with the Russian market because, unlike tourists from the UK, Russian tourists do not make their travel bookings much in advance,” he said.
He said that the Goa government should focus on building its infrastructure to attract high-end tourists, instead of indulging in huge expenses towards promotions and marketing.
Source: TOI
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