Holidaying in Goa for foreign tourists gets costlier

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Panaji, October 2:: The first scheduled flight, from Frankfurt (Germany), which will land in Goa on October 9, will herald one of the most expensive holidays for the foreign tourists in this beach destination.

The holidaymakers reveal that tickets to Goa from foreign destinations have soared by almost 60 to 100 per cent. "The travel from Moscow to Goa, which was pegged at USD 600-800, is now costing USD 1,100," said Trans Aero Airlines Station Manager Harpal Singh. Similar is the pricing from various other foreign destinations, which fluctuates up to 100 per cent this season. A flight from Germany, which cost 850 euros last year, now costs 1,100 euros.

"This leaves the entire tour package soaring, cumulative cost to travel and stay will make the holiday expensive," Russian operator Condor's Station Manager Bush Miranda said.

Goa is a preferred destination for foreign tourists. According to government data, around three lakh odd foreign guests visited here last season, which culminated in May.

"In all, 763 chartered and scheduled flights brought in two lakh passengers to Goa last season," says Airport Authority of India's (AAI) statistics.

Alike other destinations, the pricing from UK also took a similar hit. "The packages from the UK have gone up by 20 per cent. This is largely due to expensive tickets and also cost of staying in Goa," Freedom Holidays Managing Director Martin Joseph said.

Freedom Holidays serves travellers from the UK and Scandinavian countries. Despite the ticketing hike, tour operators feel that there will not be much dent in the foreign tourist arrivals. "There may be lesser charters or scheduled airlines flying. But that does not mean the less passengers will come. These days the wide bodied aeroplanes fly on chartered route which has bigger passenger capacity," Aircon Air Spares and Air Services Pvt Ltd Station Manager Subhash Phegade said.

"We have Boeing 747 a flight with 468 passengers landing this year from Moscow," Phegade said adding, "Monark tours will fly a flight from Russia with 372 passengers." The formal foreign tourist season will begin in Goa on October 9 when Condor's scheduled flight from Frankfurt land.

"We are also planning a chartered flight on the same day from Frankfurt. The scheduled flight will bring in chunk of 269 passengers," Bush Miranda, station manager, Condor airlines, a German operator, said.