Goa not struck off safe destination list: Russia

The Russian information centre here on Sunday dismissed media reports that India and Goa had been “struck off” the list of safe travel destinations by Russia, saying its statement was “misconstrued”.

“Our statement did not have any information regarding removal of India from the list of safe countries or including India in the list of unsafe countries as was mentioned in several reports and headlines published in the Indian media,” Ekaterina Belyakova, head of the centre, said in a statement on Sunday.

The centre operates from Goa and offers a helpline to thousands of Russian tourists who visit the coastal state every year and is endorsed by the Russian consulate in Mumbai.

On Sunday, a section of the media, quoting a Russian media platform, said India and Goa were dropped from the list of safe destination by Russia after a review.

The centre said its earlier statement, issued on Saturday, mentioned efforts made by Russia to scout new safe tourist destinations for Russians, like Cuba, south Vietnam and southern China and that the statement may have been misinterpreted.

“In our previous statement, we noted that Russian authorities did not discuss including Goa or India in the list of ‘safe’ destinations recommended by the Russian government to Russian tourists. We said that the Russian government discussed the list of countries recommended for visit,” the centre said. The main objective, it said, was to showcase Goa as a possible alternative to the now-troubled destinations of Egypt and Turkey, which were popular with Russian tourists.