Goa receives season’s first charter flight with 189 tourists from Kazakhstan

Goa acquired its first constitution flight of the vacationer season with a flight from Kazakhstan carrying 189 passengers touchdown at Dabolim airport on Wednesday.

“A flight of SCAT Airways touched down at Goa’s Dabolim airport on Wednesday morning which made it the primary constitution arrival of the season,” Nilesh Shah, president of the Journey and Tourism Affiliation of Goa, stated.

The vacationers had been welcomed into the state by transport minister Mauvin Godinho.

The primary constitution of Goa’s winter vacationer season often arrives within the final week of September or the primary week of October, often from Russia with different locations following swimsuit. Nonetheless, this yr it bought delayed with a number of cancellations together with flights from Russia, Ukraine and the UK.

Airport officers have stated that the Kazakh operator will deliver one constitution flight per week.

Goa receives round 9 lakh overseas vacationers yearly, virtually all from Europe and a bulk of whom arrive by way of constitution flights on bundle journeys with pre-arranged providers, together with transport, lodging, meals and choices for related actions.

Constitution tourism has been significantly fashionable in Scandinavian international locations the place people search to keep away from lengthy, chilly, and darkish winters to go to the hotter south.

In line with trade representatives, constitution planes with vacationers from Europe together with Russia flying out and in of Goa Airport make up 92% of the nation’s constitution trade in addition to serve to herald a majority of overseas vacationers who come to Goa. The UK, Germany, Poland, Russia and Ukraine are the first sources of overseas vacationers to Goa.

Goa tourism stakeholders concern that ought to Goa lose out on vacationers from the UK owing to the gradual technique of issuing visas on account of bilateral points between India and the UK, Goa will probably be unable to win again the misplaced tourism markets which have helped maintain it for years.