Panaji: Goa is set to mark the beginning of the new tourist season from Thursday, with the arrival of the first international flight from Novosibirsk, Russia, in the early hours at the Manohar International Airport in North Goa.
State Tourism Department will be welcoming the international traveller at Manohar International Airport at 1.30 am on Thursday, a senior official said.
The arrival of the flight from Novosibirsk will herald the international tourist season in the state, which has already set up its beach shacks to welcome the guests.
“The flight which will land at Manohar International Airport at Mopa, North Goa from Novosibirsk will carry 120 passengers on board,” said Sheik Ismail, Senior Vice President of Concord Exotic Voyages, which is handling the Aeroflot flight.
He said that for the first time, the direct flight from Novosibirsk is being flown in Goa, adding another destination from Russia to the coastal indian state’s tourism sector.
Novosibirsk is the most populous city in Siberia and the third-most populous city in Russia after Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Ismail said that his company will handle three flights each from Noversibisk, Yekaterinburg, and Moscow every week, making nine flights weekly from Russia from this month onwards which may extend until May, 2026.
Ernest Dias, Vice President, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, said that the international tourist season looks brighter this time.
He said that besides the scheduled flights which are originating from the places like Noversibisk, there also will be chartered flights arriving in the state.
Dias said that the international arrivals through FITs (Free Independent Travellers) will also be witnessed in the state.
He stated that the tourists arrive in India through airlines like Qatar Airways or Oman Air who arrive in the metro cities and later travel through domestic means to places like Goa.
Meanwhile, Goa is all set to usher in the season with the tourism department allocating licences for putting up shacks on the beaches.
Cruz Cardoso, President, Shack Owners Welfare Society, said that Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has already given licences to the majority shacks, so that they can be ready for welcoming tourists before time.
He said that last year, 355 licences were allotted at various beaches across the state. He said that the figure for this year would be clear only at the end of October.
As per Goa tourism data, total 1.04 crore tourists arrived during calendar year 2024 of which 4.67 lakh were international arrivals.
