International airlines seek direct Goa flights

Many international airlines are showing interest in bringing tourists directly to Goa from Australia, Europe and other countries. Airlines like Condor, Emirates, British Midlands, Gulf Air and Sri Lankan Airlines have shown interest.

"The open-skies policy would see a tremendous increase in direct flights to the state," said Wilfred de Souza, deputy chief minister, Goa, who also handles the tourism portfolio.

Goa, one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world, has seen demand for direct charter flights increase steadily each year. From 419 charter flights in 2000-01, it has shot up to 753 during this season.

With this, the number of charter tourists is expected to show a significant growth, as the number of tourists per flight is going up considerably in the last couple of years. From 1.16 lakh in 2000-01, the number has crossed over the 5-lakh mark, according to the official statistics.

Goa has also witnessed a major growth in overall arrivals last year with a record 24.50 lakh tourists visiting the state.

While the domestic tourist arrivals went up to 20.85 lakh (a rise of 20 per cent) in 2004-05 from 17.25 lakh in 2003-04, the foreign tourist segment witnessed a 15.5-per cent growth during the corresponding period with the arrivals going up from 3.14 lakh to 3.63 lakh.