Regulated air fares can boost Goa tourism: Experts

With the Government stepping in to regulate domestic air fares, Goa's tourism industry hopes the move will provide a fillip to tourist inflow during Christmas and New Year.

"There should be rationalisation of the air fares, especially during peak season. This will stop travellers from spending holidays in neighbouring countries," Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) spokesman Ralf D'Souza told PTI.

It is ironical that travelling in the country is costlier than international travel, he said.

"If it costs more to travel to Goa than Malaysia or Singapore or Sri Lanka, its natural people will go abroad," said the spokesman of Goa's apex tourism body.

The air fares to Goa see immense rise during Christmas and New Year, making holiday in the beach state an expensive affair, he said, noting that "plane ticket from Mumbai to Goa crossed Rs 20,000 per passenger for last New Year," he said.

"For everything there is a limit," D'Souza said, reacting to the high air fares to Goa, especially during the peak season. "When short domestic flights cost more than international flights, we take a beating."

Goa attracts around 2.4 million tourists, 2 million of them from within India, annually.

D'Souza said many of the travellers plan their vacations at the last minute.

"If they find that on the spot air tickets are expensive, they will prefer to go to the destinations which are cheaper," the TTAG spokesman said.

The tourism industry has noted that the domestic tourists have given up the traditional practice of visiting Goa on weekends.   

"Many a time, they travel in their own vehicles and spend longer holidays in the state," D'Souza added.