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Information centre for Russian tourists opens in India’s Goa

NEW DELHI, December 14, 19:40 /ITAR-TASS/. A Russian information centre opened in India’s resort of Goa on Saturday, December 14.

The centre will provide help and advice to Russian tourists or Indians who wish to travel to Russia, Yekaterina Belyakova, managing partner of the travel agency Tara Travel, which had initiated the project, told ITAR-TASS.

“Many of the Russians vacationing in Goa have no or very little command of English, and sometimes it is hard for them to get even the simplest information,” she said.

The centre’s offices will work in Candolim in the north of Goa and in Benaulin in the south. It also has a 24-hour call centre with Russian-speaking operators at +918554992744.

“The centre is a non-profit organisation. It will provide all types of information to tourists for free: where they can stay, where to go in the evening or now to travel to Goa to the Himalaya,” Belyakova said.

The centre will also work with Indians wishing to visit Russia. “The Olympic Games in Sochi are drawing closer and Indians wishing to be there will now have an opportunity to find out how they can do that. More than a million tourists from across India come to Goa every year,” Belyakova said.

Other tasks to be fulfilled by the centre include the promotion of Russian culture in Goa, and the first such event will be a Russian romance evening on January 7.

Goa resorts are quite popular among Russian tourists. More than 150,000 of them visit the resorts every year and their number may reach 200,000 this year.

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