Goa banks on Poles and Russians for tourism revival

After losing tourists from Western Europe, Goa is now banking on travellers from Russia and Poland to revive the sagging tourism industry in the state.

The Travel Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has said the scene was disappointing on the Western Europe tourist front, but the loss is, to some extent, compensated by Russians' attraction towards the state.

Also, arrivals from Poland went up, giving a fillip to the foreign exchange earning sector reeling under the impact of a global economic slowdown and the Mumbai terror attacks.

"Around 2,000 Polish tourists arrived in the state, which was a new feature this season," Ernest Dias, a TTAG official, told PTI.
    
The tourism industry was expecting a 25 to 30 per cent drop in tourist arrivals from English-speaking countries. But arrival of 40,000-odd Russians made up for the loss.
    
"Russians are better spending tourists compared to English," TTAG President Ralf de Souza said.
    
The tourism industry also felt the impact of Iceland's volcanic eruption which crippled flight services across Europe for several days last month. A number of charter flights to Goa were cancelled in the wake of the incident.
    
"We had to wrap up the season a bit early after flights were cancelled due to volcanic ash," Bonnie D'Souza, an office-bearer and ex-TTAG President said. 

Bonnie D'Souza said the state has decided to market itself aggressively in Western Europe as it has been sending the bulk of foreign tourists to Goa.
   
Keeping security concerns in mind, authorities have also decided to promote the state as one of the safest tourist destinations on the earth.
   
"With a tourism security force in place, the beach stretches would be manned day and night. The force will instill confidence in the travellers that they are safe," TTAG chief Ralf de Souza said.
   
Ralf de Souza said hotels have installed bag scanners and door frame metal detectors to ensure safety of their guests. "Every hotel has invested into the security aspect. We cannot compromise with the safety of our guests."