2024 tourism season will surpass last year’s performance, says TTAG

Panaji: The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) on Monday said it was optimistic about the new tourism season, anticipating it to surpass the previous year’s performance.
TTAG president Jack Sukhija said that until now, the state had been operating at around 50% of the pre-season levels observed in 2019. However, he expects growth in the tourism sector this year, indicating a promising season ahead for the industry.
“So far, the signs are looking positive. We are expecting a rise in charter flights landing in the state. Anticipation is high for the arrival of new charters originating from Poland. Additionally, a single operator is expected to bring in 10 flights from Russia every week. Apart from this, we will have arrivals of charters from other parts of the world,” he said.
Sukhija spoke to reporters in Panaji along with tourism director Suneel Anchipaka, said the TTAG has joined hands with the tourism department and SKAL Goa to celebrate World Tourism Day with a series of activities planned over a week, aligning with the concept of regenerative tourism. “The main stakeholders’ meet, which is usually organised in a starred hotel, will be held at a spice farm this time. We are also organising heritage walks at different places having historic and cultural importance,” the TTAG president said.
Anchipaka refrained from commenting on the department’s readiness for the upcoming Exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier, scheduled to take place from Nov 21 this year to Jan 5, 2025. The tourism director also chose not to address the ongoing dispute between the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and the Dudhsagar Tour Operators Association. The association has accused the service provider, which was hired by the GTDC to manage all-terrain vehicle bookings in the previous tourism season, of orchestrating a Rs 8 crore “fraud”.