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Helicopter services from Goa for tourists

Panaji, Aug 4 (UNI)

In a bid to further promote high-end tourism, Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has given its nod to consider introduction of private helicopter services in Goa, even as it has cleared direct landing of all scheduled flights in the island State to benefit foreign tourists.
After meeting Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in New Delhi, Goa Deputy Chief Minister Dr Wilfred de Souza, also in-charge of tourism, told mediapersons here today that the helicopter operators could get clearance from the Union Ministry, now that the Minister has given the green signal for the proposal.
The three helipads built at Sinquerim could be made operational to benefit the high-end tourists through the helicopter services, in vogue in most of the developed countries.
Meanwhile, the Navy-controlled Dhabolim airport in Goa has started working round-the-clock following a memorandum of understanding, the Indian Navy had entered into with the Airport Authority of India (AAI), except for sometime in the morning hours to facilitate the former conduct exercises.
The Navy has also agreed to hand over its nine acre land to the AAI to promote expansion and strengthening of the Dhabolim airport by adding more aprons and increasing the runway length.
The State Government has also offered a few acres of land to the AAI for the expansion work even as it is ready to part with four acre land to rebuild a housing colony of the AAI, following shifting of the existing colony from the land under expansion plan, Dr de Souza said.
Besides, the Union Ministry has relaxed the rules allowing the tourists visiting Goa on chartered flights, whether foreigners or non-resident Goans, to stay in Goa as long as they desired. At present, they are permitted not to stay beyond four weeks.
‘‘All these developments would go a long way in promoting high-end tourism, even as more foreign flights are ready to land directly in Goa for holidaying,’’ he said.
While Condor airlines of Germany and Airlanka of Srilanka are ready to run more flights to Goa, Virgin Airlines is seeking permission to do so.
Air India would run two or three flights a week instead of the one from Kuwait to Mumbai via Dubai and Goa, once it acquires more new flights shortly, the Tourism Minister said.
As of now, more than 3.5 lakh foreign tourists, most of them through chartered flights, and 18 lakh domestic tourists visited Goa last year and the traffic was on rise significantly, according to projections.
With a slew of promotional activities taken, the occupancy of hotels in Goa touched 70 per cent even in this active monsoon season, unlike in the past, he said.
‘‘Goa is bound to become an all-season international tourist destination shortly, even as it has planned to represent the Moscow tourist fair to attract more high-spend tourists,’’ Dr de Souza said.