PANAJI
The central government’s Director General of Civil Aviation has notified a new tourism policy allowing for greater flexibility bringing cheer to the Goa tourism industry.
The policy, technically known as the ‘aeronautical information circular’, now allows a charter tourist who has flown in by one charter company’s flight to return by another company’s flight, giving tour operators to the much needed flexibility.
“Tourists flying on Indian Tour Operator (ITP) charters can fly into India and out of India by using the services of two different charter operators provided both these charter operators have been engaged by the same principal tour operator for this purpose,” the relevant section of the document reads.
“The earlier policy mandated that if a tourist comes in on a charter flight of one company, he or she has to return on a charter flight of the same company only. This was a logistical nightmare for tour operators as they had to operate flights just to bring their tourists back,” member of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) João Xavier Miranda told media persons.
“Charter operators may carry one-way passengers not availing ‘Inclusive Tour Package’ on the return leg of the first flight into India and the incoming leg of the last flight out of India, subject to conditions,” the document reads.
Hitherto the return leg of the first flight out of India and the last flight into India had to fly empty as regular passengers were not allowed on these flights and since no tourists were returning to their home country at the start of the season or coming to India at the end of the season.
Further the point of arrival and departure from India needn’t be the same allowing a charter tourist who flies into India at Goa to fly back out from Delhi or any other airport.
“This was a demand that was pending for many months and the foreign operators were mailing every few months to have the restrictions removed,” President of the TTAG Francisco de Bragança said.
The new policy also relaxes restrictions on staff including pilots and cabin crew allowing more to travel as well as easier visa norms for them.
Among other relaxations, the new policy allows charter flights to be handled by any authorised ground handling agency not just Air India, which currently holds a monopoly.
“Since Air India held a monopoly they were charging a very high rate for aircraft handling. Other operators are charging half of what Air India charges. The same was for security,” Miranda said.
“The handling by Air India as a monopoly is now withdrawn, and any authorized ground handling agent with Bureau of Civil Aviation approval is allowed to handle charter flights. Security handling can be done by any person having a BCAS certificate.
TTAG president expressed satisfaction with the current policy as well as gratitude to former Director of Tourism Ameya Abhyankar as well as Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for having personally followed up the matter with the central officials, which “opened many doors for us.”
“The government has accepted all our demands. In fact the policy is almost like a copy of our charter of demands. We are grateful for that,” Bragança said.
The operators expect that the number of incoming charter tourists will increase but however said, they couldn’t say by how much as the real effects of the policy changes will be felt only next year.
Goa receives as many as 97% of the total charter flights that come into India.
