Time for Goa to innovate

Tourism in Goa has taken another hit with the Russia-Ukraine conflict – both top source markets for Goa – and all charter flights from the region has stopped for now. The state will therefore need to enhance its charter game rather than depend on its traditional markets if it wants to attract more international tourists.

Hazel Jain

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent suspension of Russian flights is hitting Goa’s charter season hard. Nilesh Shah, President, Travel & Tourism Association of Goa, said, “Most charter guests spend 14-21 days in Goa. Many hotels that have been suffering for the past 20 months depend on charter business for survival.”

At the moment, Goa is receiving only once-a-week charters from Kazakhstan. This was inevitable with the political situation in the Eastern Europe region worsening. Goa will need to branch out and bring its ‘A’ game to the fore as it competes with Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Maldives, and even Tanzania for international charter flights. Gavin Eccles, Managing Partner GE Consulting & Advisory, said, “For Goa, domestic tourism has been leading the way so far. It is a fascinating story for the state. If you look at Goa from the European travellers’ point of view, we look at Goa from November to May because it is winter in Europe. The mentality for the Europeans is that when we travel to a destination that is semi long haul, we go predominantly in the winter.”

Advantage Mopa airport?

The other big question is – what is the vision behind the new Mopa airport? Eccles said, “What I am hearing from the airport directly is that the old Dabolim airport will continue to operate under AAI even once Mopa starts operating. But the problem is that Mopa is in the middle of nowhere. So from tourism point of view, where does this leave the tourists? South Goa beaches – which is where most of the tourists are going at the moment – are much more aligned from the existing airport rather than Mopa. So the complexities of Mopa are not so great for South Goa. Now, the opportunity that Mopa presents is the opportunity for building new resorts in the north of Goa. So, the question is – is there a vision to look at resort development to the north of Goa where the connectivity from the new airport is easier?” If Goa keeps both airports open, they actually compete with each other for the same type of customer in the international space.”

Meanwhile, Shah had revealed earlier this year that Goa was welcoming almost 500 passengers every 10 days from Moscow, which was expected to increase. Moreover, TUI was to send four flights per week from the UK – two from Manchester and two from Gatwick. This unfortunately got cancelled because of the third wave. Shah said, “But we remain hopeful, and with the new private airport in Mopa, which will be operational by the next season, I think the charter movement will see a boom, as there will be no restrictions and fewer permissions required for charters.” However, Eccles said, “You cannot expect Mopa to drive charters. Somebody has to create a significant push for brand Goa in the markets it wants to go after. Just because you have an airport does not mean you will have connectivity and charters come in. The airport is just a port of arrival.” He added that Goa needs to understand why charters are being diverted to other destinations from the state and work accordingly.