Goa Tourism has received around 1,128 charter flights which landed in the State during the peak season from October 2013 to May 2014, carrying a record number of 2.61 lakh passengers.

The corresponding figure for the previous year was 996 charter flights, carrying 2.15 lakh passengers. This amounts to 13.25 per cent increase in the arrival of charter flights on a year-on-year basis.

It is also the highest number of charter flights ever to arrive in the State. There was 21 per cent increase in the number of foreign tourists who arrived by charter flights in Goa, compared with the same time period last year.

Goa has also received Boeing Dreamliner flights from the UK as charters, the Goa Tourism Board said in a statement.

State Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said it was the result of professional marketing and promotional activities undertaken by the tourism department with the active involvement of travel trade professionals.

He added that he was also very optimistic regarding the arrival of tourists in the forthcoming season, especially in view of the decennial exposition of the holy relics of St Francis Xavier, which will be held in November this year.

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