New visa norms have impacted European tourists: Goa Tourism

The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has said that new visa norms have forbade European travellers from spending their long vacations in this beach destination.

"Goa's unique selling proposition (USP) was the long holidays that could be spent here. But that itself is impacted with the visa regulations," TTAG spokesperson Ralf De Souza said.

TTAG is an umbrella organisation for all tourism industry in Goa with tour operators, hoteliers and other stake holders being its members.

De Souza said that new norms bars traveller from staying in India for more than three months, which means he will have to go back to his country and return.

"And if he goes back, he will have to go through cooling period of two months before getting visa back to India," he said.

Goa has been receiving repeat clienteles over the years but now with the new norms, these guests too will not turn up, he said.

Many of the European tourists used to make Goa as their base for six months before returning to their abode. The state receives around four lakh foreign tourists mostly from Russia, UK and other European nations.