A total of 1,128 charter flights, carrying a record 2.61 lakh passengers landed in Goa in the current tourist season this year, officials said today.
"We received 1,128 charter flights for this tourist season from October 2013 to May this year, bringing 2.61 lakh tourists, which is 13.25 per cent increase in arrival of chartered flights from last year.
The figures in last year's corresponding period was 996 charter flights, carrying 2.15 lakh passengers," state tourism minister Dilip Parulekar said.
He said this is a record of highest number of charter flights that have arrived in the state till now.
"There was a 21 per cent increase in the number of foreign tourists who arrived by charter flights, against last year during same period," the minister added.
Goa also received state-of-the-art Boeing Dreamliner flights from UK as charters," he said.
Parulekar attributed the growth to promotional activities and professional marketing undertaken by the tourism department, by actively involving travel trade professionals along with help of charter/tour operators.
The Tourism Minister said he is very optimistic about the arrival of tourists in the forthcoming season, especially due to the Decennial Exposition of the Holy Relics of St Francis Xavier.
"It will be my endeavour to make Goa as a leading destination of choice for tourists, while focusing on quality tourists and improving the tourism infrastructure," he added.
