Goa Tourism has received 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 figures for the previous year were 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.

The current trend also records the highest number of charter flights that have arrived in the history of the state. There was a 21 per cent increase in the number of foreign tourists who arrived by charter flights as compared to the same time period last year.

Goa has also received state-of-the-art Boeing Dreamliner flights from the UK as charters, the Goa tourism board said in a statement.

Dilip Parulekar, Tourism Minister, Government of Goa said that it was the result of professional marketing and promotional activities undertaken by the tourism department by actively involving travel trade professionals.

He added that he was also very optimistic regarding the arrival of tourists in the forthcoming season, especially due to the Decennial Exposition of the Holy Relics of St Francis Xavier, which will be held in November this year.

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