Panaji: The first chartered flight will arrive in Goa on December 13 ending a year long lull on the international tourism sector in Goa since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official said.
Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) President Nilesh Shah told PTI that the first chartered flight will arrive in Goa on December 13, bringing in tourists from the UK.
He said that the four chartered flights will fly to Goa every week from the UK from December onwards, two each from Gatwick and Manchester Airports.
The chartered flight season was shut down during last year due to outbreak of COVID-19, Shah recalled adding that the chartered season of 2019-20 was also washed out due to the pandemic.
He said that Goa’s tourism industry was expecting good response from the Russian market but due to the ongoing COVID-19 wave in their country, the arrivals may be delayed.
Before COVID-19 pandemic, Goa used to receive around 1,000 chartered flights during tourist season which begins in October and ends in April, next year.
He said that even if 50 per cent of the chartered flights arrive in Goa during this tourist season, than it will help the industry to jump back.
Shah said that the current ban on the scheduled flights from the international destinations is also affecting the tourism industry.
