Huge increase in Russian numbers again this year hand corresponding decrease in British numbers. Their has been a demographic change also. It appears the vast majority are in the18-30 age group and are here to party hard. We used Aggies shack for years, met all our friends here, but this year it's all Russians who just ignore you so we have moved on, we spoke with a Scottish couple yesterday, first visit to Goa, loving it but the hotel they are staying in, the Tio Carmino is full of young Russian who come in at about 4.00 am, shouting and carrying on , jumping into the pool etc and it's spoiling the holiday for the other guests the Russian tour companies seem to just use a few hotels and fill them, rather than spreading them around. When you go to a Med hotel that caters for the 18-30 club you know what to expect but when you are in Goa it's a gamble if you land in a noisy one
Alan

Thankfully, the south is much quieter.
Seems to attract older Russians and families, so hopefully same again this year.

A (wealthy) friend and wife returned from Goa today. Stayed at the mega-buck 7star Leela Kempinsky at Cavellossim, rs350 for a beer, God knows how much the room cost, and their spending money for a week was £1200......... said they are wealthy!

This was their first visit to Goa and their strongest memories were garbage (especially on the beaches)...........and this expensive hotel being full of BRAWLING, and bawling, Russians.

They assumed that at the 7 star prices these were not "ordinary" Russians?

Met a Russian lady whilst staying in Arpora in 2010. She was a very well-educated professional working as interpretator/teaching foreign language, now living in the UK. She explained the issue with Russians as this (her words):

"There is new wealth in Russia, so many are now taking holidays abroad for the first time.
they don't understand (or respect) other cultures. There is racism there, so Indians are treated as 'n*****s'....hence the rudeness towards them.
"
She described her fellow nationals in one word...... "LOUD".
This can be interpreted in several ways, but we can make some sense of this I think.

This is by no means an excuse for the behaviour, but perhaps can go some way towards understanding the behaviour of those Russians who are unruly.

From personal experience, having them as neighbours in rented long term accommodation, they have behaved in this manner for approaching ten years................... how long do we wait then?

I just got back from Phuket, Thailand yesterday,
I went there this year as a change from Goa which I’ve visited for the last eight years.
And Thailand was ALSO full of Russians. The hotel I stayed at was had about half Russian guests.
Chatted to a local tour guide and he told me that overall they are now getting 60% Russians in Phuket, and to quote him “my biggest problems are with the Russians” – crazy excessive drinking, rowdy behaviour, and fighting with each other.
So it seems that Goa is not alone in this issue...

When we encountered lots of Russians a couple of years ago we asked the hotel manager why they seemed to more Russians than any other guests.
We were told their holidays were subsidised by their government.

Wow, I see racism is alive and well! I have several Russian friends, none of whom have two heads.

considering that most Russians are the same RACE as most of us are, it's hardly rascist to complain about their behaviour.
Its only pretty much how British lager louts were viewed on the Costas not long ago.

del949 wrote:

considering that most Russians are the same RACE as most of us are, it's hardly rascist to complain about their behaviour.
Its only pretty much how British lager louts were viewed on the Costas not long ago.

Well said Del.

The only objection I would have if Russians DID have two heads would be that they would be twice as loud, twice as offensive, and would be able to consume twice as much of their own booze brought into restaurants.

A quick check round travel forums covering wintersun destinations will reveal that they are viewed this way wherever they go.............still. it must be our fault, not theirs?

Spot on the last two posters, I wonder ed how long this informative subject would run before the usual race card would be brought into play, and sure enough it was not long till it did
Alan

Yes, 'Godwin's Rule' does apply and, sadly, is about to here as well :-(

No Godwin's Rule, no racism, no disrespect that I have observed so far, a general discussion on what is acknowledged not only just in this Goa forum or even here on HT but in almost all other travel review websites and that is the majority of Russian tourists don't have the same standards of behavior and manners that MOST of us have.

I say most of us have as yes there are tourists from many countries and the UK certainly has them that go abroad and just 'go mad with it' however this is generally confined to certain resorts that are geared up for exactly style of behavior.
The problem with the Russians is that this behavior is in all styles of resorts and hotels, I have personally witnessed it several times and it makes me feel uneasy and threatened on holiday which is not what one expects.

As regards this discussion it is fine to continue it but as always remember it is being monitored

We have encountered Russians mostly in Egypt and on 2 occasions they were rude to other guests and to staff.I returned to my room one afternoon and found the young Russian boy from next door trying to break into my room from the outside which was a ground floor.He got a shock when i appeared from behind the curtain and I asked to be moved to another room.This was in Sharm.
However we went to Hurghada 2 years ago and the Russians we met there were completely different.
Yes, they were loud,drank loads of vodka but were also very friendly and great fun.
I must admit I now avoid hotels that mention lots of Russians in their reviews as I dont want to spend my holiday doing battle every day in the hotel restaurants.
Another reason to just go B&B or SC.

Good point from del949

Russians are not a different 'race' so the 'racism' comment is ridiculous.
We are both Caucasian in terms of race.
Mentioning an adjective that refers to a country of origin does not imply an issue of being 'racist'.

'Godwins Rule' is frequently precursed by this 'racist' comment.

Those comments posted originally were made by a very well-educated Russian lady who knew her compatriots well (and expressed in her words).

Was she a 'racist'? If so, how? And how are Russians a 'different race'?

Please can posts be read more thoroughly before commenting, particularly when remarks such as 'racism' and/or 'racist' are made?

We also encountered how rude Russians can be in the Dominican 2 years ago. There was a rather large wedding party the first week of the holiday and the whole resort was considerably louder the first week. Very peaceful when they went. I witnessed them treating the staff appallingly, and when I tapped one man on the shoulder to ask him to move as he was blocking the way, I thought he was going to smack me! If looks could kill....One family was also involved in a fist fight (believe it or not!) with a french man over sunbeds!!! (I couldn't believe it)
The dutch guy who ran the boat excursions told us that he wouldn't put Russians with other nationalities on a trip as they were just too much for anyone else. He also mentioned the new money that they had to burn.
I too would prefer a hotel that was not overun with them after this experience. This would be the same for any nationality that I saw behave like this...

Welcome to the forum Pablosa

Last night in Taste Of India in Calangute two Russian girls about 20 years old had an expensive top of the menu meal including a bottle of wine, went to the loo, left a little wine in each glass, a pack of cigarettes (empty) with a cheap lighter on top of it, So as not to arrouse suspicion and did a disappearing trick. There is not a restaurant, shack or taxi driver who couldn't tell a similar story. In going out of there way to encourage them the Indian goverment may live to regret it.
Alan

Difficult to see how the restaurant owners can counter this kind of thing.
I have witnessed similar but not as extreme behaviour .
When I and my wife have had a meal we like to have a smoke and if the restaurant is busy or has lots of eaters around us we will go stand outside, I can see the owners being uncomfortable about us doing this in future if the above example is widespread.