Panaji, Oct 2 (PTI) The tourist season began in Goa on Wednesday with the arrival of two chartered flights from Russia carrying 488 passengers, an official said.
Goa tourism department accorded a warm welcome to the tourists who landed at the Manohar International Airport located at Mopa in the coastal state, he said.
The arrival of the flights heralded the international tourist season in Goa as the southwest monsoon has already withdrawn from the state, a tourism department official said.
A flight from Moscow carrying 349 passengers landed at 9 am followed by a flight from Yekaterinburg (city in Russia) which had 210 passengers onboard, the official said.
Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, while welcoming the international travellers, said it was for the first time that beach shacks were set up much before the arrival of tourists, which was not the case in the past.
Goa has always been a preferred tourist destination, he said, adding the last season witnessed more than one crore visitors to the state.
Khaunte said Goa is famous as a beach destination, but is now also gaining popularity for its hinterland due to the campaign of regenerative tourism introduced by his department.
Tourists, including international travellers, want to explore the greener Goa, along with their plan to spend days on the sunny beaches, the minister said. PTI RPS GK
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