For the first time in recent decades Russian tourist arrivals to Goa are expected to drop a trend blamed on the economic crisis in Europe as well as the sanctions in the wake of the Ukraine-Russia conflict damaging economies of both the countries.
According to officials in the Russian Information Centre (RIC), the drop could be as much as 20 per cent, news that isn’t going to be received well by the tourism industry.
Ekaterina Belyakova, head of the RIC, a facilitation centre for Russian tourists in Goa, however, said that if the Government speeds up its visa on arrival facility at the Dabolim airport, that trend could reverse.
“In the beginning of season I had hope that the Russian tourist season will be same, but in reality it will go down by at least 20 per cent,” Belyakova told The Pioneer.
The RIC is endorsed by the Russian consulate in Mumbai and besides facilitating the Russian tourists in Goa has also been conducting classes for local taxi drivers to help smooth out friction between the Russians and locals that tend to be blown up by the media.
The RIC has pointed out reasons for the decline. “The dollar rate in Russia has become very high. last year, one dollar was equal to 32 Rubles, now it is 41, making tour packages expensive,” Belyakova said.
Worse, cheap tours have led to a premier tour operator ‘labyrinth’ in financial doldrums. labyrinth accounted for the single largest chunk of Russian tourists into Goa.
Russians have long outbeat the British as being the single largest tourist arrivals in the State. A slump in the Russian arrivals will ripple the tourism industry. Not just labyrinth, other operators too are facing financial woes and it could have a direct bearing on Goa’s arrivals.
According to Belyakova, the tour operator crisis, was a case of the marketing ‘stabilising’. “It is not possible for the market to stabilise so fast. It will stabilise, but will take time,” she said, adding that the Ukraine-Russia conflict could also contribute to the slump in numbers.
She, however assured that the charters may dip but the independent tourists are likely to rise. Free Individual Travellers or FITs as they are known do not travel by charter planes and chalk out their own itineraries unlike Goa. While chartered tourists have a pre-fixed itineraries arranged for by package tour companies.
Belyakova said that the implementation of the visa on arrival facility could turn the season around as far as Russian tourists are concerned. “If it happens, then the tourist arrival number will increase by 30 per cent or more. It can save the season,” she said. Goa’s conventional tourist season starts in October and winds up in March attracting mostly Europeans seeking to escape the harsh winters back home.
