Mopa: The official international tourism season began in Goa on Wednesday with the arrival of two chartered flights from Moscow and Yekaterinburg, both from Russia, carrying 488 passengers in total.
The state tourism department gave a warm welcome to both chartered flights, which arrived at Manohar International Airport at Mopa, a senior tourism department official said.
The flight from Moscow carried 349 passengers on board and landed at 9 AM, followed by the flight from Yekaterinburg (a city in Russia) that carried 210 passengers.
A senior tourism department official said that the arrival of the flights heralded the international tourist season in the state, as the South West Monsoon has already withdrawn from the state.
State Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, while welcoming the international travelers, said that the beach shacks have already been set up on the coast, much before the arrival of the tourists.
He said that it is the first time that the beach shacks were waiting for the arrival of tourists, which was not the scene in the past.
Khaunte said that Goa, being a famous beach destination, is also now gaining popularity for its hinterland, due to the campaign of regenerative tourism introduced by the department.
He said that the tourists, including international travelers, want to explore the greener Goa along with their plans to spend days on the sunny beaches.
Khaunte said that Goa has always been a preferred tourist destination, and last season witnessed the arrival of more than a crore tourists visiting the state.
