Goans must prepare for one more season without loads of charters and foreign tourists

PANAJI: Tour operators, hotels, shacks and all other tourism-related businesses in Goa must prepare for one more season this year sans a huge inflow of charter flights and foreign tourists in the coastal, tourism-dependent state.

Holiday planners in Goa offering package deals could do well to target domestic tourists, as this season too, charter flights and busloads of foreign tourists may be difficult to depend on for business. ALSO READ: Due to inaction by Govt, Goa loses out on more than 50 percent charter flights from Russia

With New Delhi yet to positively respond to air bubble-like arrangements and permissions for point to point direct charter flights with select nations like Russia, UK, Germany, etc., from where the bulk of foreign tourists visit Goa for long vacations, Goan businesses must prepare and be ready for another year without huge numbers of big-budget or premium foreign tourists.

ALSO READ: Reginaldo requests CM Sawant to insist upon Centre to permit air-bubbles for charter flights from Russia and UK

And it’s not just the Indian government’s lukewarm response to Goa Tourism stakeholders that’s ruining business for Goans. Countries like Egypt, which are a big draw among Russian tourists are already open for business and bending backwards, offering package deals and special discounts for groups of young Russian tourists, who have started booking long holidays in big groups to avail of group discounts.

ALSO READ: Hundreds of Gyms across Goa selling expired, spurious or banned health products, supplements

Package deals for foreign tourists heading to Egypt this year are almost 30 to 50 percent cheaper than in 2019. Countries like Egypt are trying to get every tourist they can book. Comparatively, the Goa government is hardly bothered when it comes to the livelihood of its people. Even the trade bodies in Goa are sitting pretty and not doing their best.

ALSO READ: More than 30 percent Covid test reports presented at checkpoints by tourists to Goa are fake?

Agencies – both governmental and trade-related in Egypt have gone overboard, trying to showcase the country as a safe destination for a long holiday, and even offering fixed-rate medical packages as well, just in case a tourist should get infected with the deadly coronavirus, while on his holiday. ALSO READ: Five lakh tourists to be given free visas, tourism bizmen to get loans up to Rs 10 lakh: Modi

While Russia is one of Egypt’s chief markets, and the latter has already booked hundreds of point to point charter flights from Russia beginning November, there is absolutely no indication from the Indian government as to when commercial flights can resume, or at least point to point direct flights under air bubble arrangements specially for foreign tourists from the UK, Germany and Russia.