Vodka is likely to flow freely this time during the New Year festivities in Goa as Russians are thronging the destination in huge numbers.
While last year, Goa attracted 1,000 of the 1,500 Russian tourists coming to India through travel agents, this year the number has gone up to 5,000 out of the 6,000-odd Russians tourists coming to India. Next year, this number is expected to touch 15,000.
Small wonder, it is a lifeline for the hotels in Goa where the prices had crash-landed over the past months. Interestingly, Indian Club -- the charter company which handles over 90 per cent of the organised Russian leisure travellers to India -- is spending $400,000 this year on various promotions to attract Russians.
Indian Club president Lugov Gennady said: "India has become one of favorable destination for Russians this year."
He added that last year only nine charter flights came to India between December-May but this year, one charter flight is coming in every week since November.
Gennady added that while three charter flights are coming in to meet the New Year demand, the frequency will be increased to six flights a month after that till May.
Most of the hotels in Goa are working overtime to attract Russians in order to improve their occupancy levels and also because Russians are high spenders.
Gennady said that Russians spend three times compared to an average international tourist and stay in India for about two weeks. The package being offered by Indian Club costs about $1300 per person.
The hotels could not have asked for more. Radisson Goa officials said that while 40 rooms out of the total about 100 rooms have been booked in the hotel till May this year, next year Russians want to book at least 70 rooms for the duration.
He added that Unicorn Holdings -- the group that owns the hotel -- is planning to add another 50 rooms to the hotel to meet the demand.
Lugov himself added that over 50 per cent of Radisson is booked for the New year when over 600 people are expected to land in Goa.
An official at Taj Exotika, Goa added that the increased bookings from Russians have acted as a blessing for most of the hotels in the region where rates had dropped to alarming levels. Interestingly, even the travel companies are gearing in to tap the growing potential.
Sita Inbound division chief operating officer Himmat Anand said that the company was in talks with some charter operators to introduce flights in the traditionally low season in Goa, when prices were very attractive.
Another striking feature is that the profile of Russians coming to India is changing. While earlier lot of people were coming on business, conferences or just for shopping, now they are exploring India as a leisure travel destination.
Though India still figures low compared to Thailand, Bali or even the UAE, it is gradually moving up the preference list, says a Russian visiting India.
