Karan Sehgal
PANAJI
Tour operators have said that Russian tourists are choosing other destinations over Goa because visa fees they have to pay to come to Goa is really high. This is when Russians have to pay absolutely no visa fees to go to places like Turkey, Egypt, Vietnam, Tunisia and Jordan.
Over the last 15 years, Russians have accounted for the largest share of foreign tourists arrivals in Goa. However, due to visa related issues now, it seems that the number of Russian tourists is going to decline at a fast rate.
Batyr Agibaev, manager, Pegas Touristik, said, “A Russian tourist has to pay $100 per person visa fees for a 2-month visa to visit India. Even for a Russian infant, the visa fee is $100. This is really high considering that Russians have to pay no visa fees when they travel to a number of other countries like Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and etc.”
The visa may be for 2 months, but Russians come to Goa on an average for 10 days. $100 to pay for visa for a 10-day trip is really a lot. Sources further said that rather than coming to Goa, Russians can easily go to Vietnam because they not only have to pay no visa fees there, but even Vietnamese food is similar to Goan food. Besides, Vietnam is really green as well.
A lot of experts believe that the Indian government imposes visa fees on Russians coming to India because the Russian government imposes visa fees on Indians travelling to Russia. But, sources said that the number of Russians coming to India is a lot higher than the number of Indians travelling to Russia.
Agibaev said, “The Indian government should consider how much Russian tourists are contributing to the Goan economy while taking a decision on visa fees.”
Tour operators further said that hotels in other destinations like Thailand, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Vietnam have the concept of “all-inclusive”, under which tourists have to pay a fixed rate for stay, which includes three meals plus drinks.
Ernest Dias, chief operating officer, Sita Travels and TCI, said, “In Turkey, you can get a stay in a 5-star hotel for around Rs 7,500 per day, which includes all the meals and drinks as well. Compared to that, 5-star hotels in Goa are much more expensive.”
Due to these reasons, the number of charter flights from Russia has really come down. Unless these issues are taken care of, tour operators say that the number of Russian tourists is only going to decline.
