the goan I network
PANAJI
The first charter of the season from Poland will land at Dabolim airport on December 23. The fact that a charter will arrive from Poland to Goa should bring some relief to the tourism industry, which is otherwise struggling to get foreign tourists.
Ernest Dias, chief operating officer, Sita Travels and TCI, said, “Yes, we will bring the first charter flight from Poland to Goa on December 23. Every week, there will be one flight from Poland from then on till the middle of March.”
As of now, among foreign tourists, Russians are dominating the scene in the current season. By all estimates, the number of British tourists is going to significantly come down this season because of the collapse of Thomas Cook in the UK.
In this context, it is
important that charter flights from other countries like Poland arrive in Goa. As far as Russian tourists are concerned, it is not clear whether their number will increase or decrease this season.
Amar Dhumatkar, president, Goa charters at Caper Travel Pvt Ltd, said, “We are bringing 9 flights per week from Russia and CIS countries to Goa since October. Each such flight brings around 220 tourists. So far the business looks fine.”
When asked how he thinks the turnout of Russian tourists will be in the rest of the season, Dhumatkar said it was too early to comment on that.
There is a bit of uncertainty about the number of Russian tourists expected in the State from January onwards. It remains to be seen how the whole season will pan out.
