PANAJI
Domestic tourists looking to ring in a high-spirited New Year in Goa will have to shell out the big bucks for air and bus tickets, with private operators charging more than double the normal rates.
Half-way into the Christmas-New Year party week, air and bus fares have peaked, with very few seats available on each ride into the state. Industry sources point out that after soaring all week, air fares drop marginally on December 30 and 31, because the music festivals which are major crowd-pullers wind up by then.
“The airline companies have for long been hiking their ticket prices during the peak season, and the trend has now caught up with private bus operators as well. It only affects the last-minute tourist, as most travellers who plan ahead and book their hotels and flights in advance manage to get cheaper tickets,” Travel and Tourism Association of Goa president Francisco Braganza said. “This may be a quick way to make a profit, but in the long run, Goa will start losing tourists to other destinations during the last week of December,” Braganza predicted.
Full report here Times of India
