Why a verdant Goa village is resisting Russian signages
It is often referred to as Goa's 'Mini-Russia'. Nevertheless, the boom of Russian tourists in Morjim village, in the state's north, has had a flipside. In a recent gram sabha meeting, dismayed villagers objected to the proliferation of signboards in Russian language, prompting the local panchayat to promise these will be taken down.Russians top the charts among international tourists to Goa. Located on the banks of the Chapora river estuary in Pernem taluka, Morjim is known for its verdant beach. The high footfall of Russian tourists and immigrants has given the village the monikers of 'Little Russia' and 'Mini-Russia'. Some villagers have even picked up the Russian language.advertisementThe brush with Russians, though, has been anything but smooth, with local politicians in the past accusing them of criminal backgrounds and illegal activities.Pavan Morje, the sarpanch of Morjim village, said many restaurants had put up boards in Russian for the convenience of tourists. 'These boards have signs in English and Russian. We will now ask them to use English, Marathi and Hindi. No signages in Russian can be put up on the main roads, but it's okay to have Russian language boards inside the restaurants,' he said.
Morjim has some 200 small and large restaurants and 11 tourism shacks. Over 400,000 tourists visit the village during season, and some even come over during monsoons—an otherwise leaner period for Goa's tourism industry.In 2023, Goa was visited by 8.1 million domestic and 453,000 international tourists. Last year, the state welcomed 9.94 million domestic tourists and 468,000 international tourists. 'Goa has notched a notable 21 per cent growth in tourism, which is a very positive trend. While domestic tourist footfall increased by 22 per cent, foreign tourist arrivals climbed by 3 per cent. These statistics unmistakably indicate a robust growth, reaffirming the state's position as a most-preferred tourist destination,' stated the Economic Survey of Goa for 2024-25.advertisementGoa's tourism department has said tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2025 grew by 10.5 per cent year on year from the corresponding period in 2024. January to March 2025 saw over 2.8 million visitors as against over 2.5 million in the first quarter of 2024.Subscribe to India Today Magazine
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