TravTalk India Online Magazine
Goa is performing better than the national average and has great resilience and adaptability in the competitive tourism, says Rohan Khaunte, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Goa, while dismissing reports on the decline in the state’s tourist footfalls. Goa’s overall tourist footfall in 2024 shows a robust 21 per cent growth over last year.
Hazel Jain
Dispelling untruths about tourism in Goa in recent times, Rohan Khaunte, Minister for Tourism, Government of Goa, said, “The last week of December 2024 saw 200 daily flights, which is quite a record. The overall tourist footfall in 2024 shows a robust 21 per cent growth over last year, which indicates a positive trend in Goa tourism sector. The total number of tourists visiting Goa has increased by 21 per cent year on year compared to 2023-2024. Our stats show December to December growth has been 54 per cent increase in the number of tourists between December 2023 and December 2024. Foreign tourist arrival into Goa has shown a 3 per cent increase in 2024 while domestic tourism went up by 22 per cent.”
The minister highlighted that despite the broader Asia tourism sector facing an 18 per cent growth rate post-COVID-19, Goa’s 3 per cent growth in foreign tourist arrivals signifies the state’s resilience and adaptability.
The quarterly growth of the last quarter showed growth of 38 per cent, ending the year strongly. He added, “We are looking at increasing off-season business. We recently organised a day-long conclave with our tourism stakeholders which gave us an insight into some of the issues. We will create an action plan which will be presented to the Goa CM.”
The conclave brought together key stakeholders from diverse sectors, including cruise tourism, airport operations, charter flights, beach tourism, transport, and accommodation. Members of the Goa Tourism Board, including Mark Mendes, Ernest Dias, Carlos de Sousa; TTAG President Jack Sukhija, and other industry representatives discussed strategies to enhance Goa’s tourism experience and ensure sustainable growth.
Suneel Anchipaka, IAS, Director of Tourism, Goa, said that the arrival data has been compiled from credible sources, including airport arrivals, Konkan Railways, and the Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) and other transport operators. He added that Dabolim Airport saw a significant surge in passenger traffic, with a remarkable 27 per cent growth in December 2024 compared to the same month in 2023. He said that the government is focusing on quality over quantity and that the hotel occupancy remained highest this season, which shows that high-end tourists are preferring Goa.
In 2023, Goa received 8.18 million domestic tourists and 0.45 million international tourists, totalling 8.62 million visitors. Whereas in 2024, provisional figures show that Goa welcomed 9.94 million domestic tourists and around 0.46 million international tourists, bringing the total to 0.10 million visitors.
Issues of overtourism exists
The minister acknowledged challenges such as overtourism, particularly at popular beaches like Baga and Calangute, which have faced overcrowding, waste management issues, and occasional conflicts between locals and tourists. These challenges, along with the impact of budget tourism, require a focused and proactive approach to maintain Goa’s infrastructure and reputation.Khaunte added, “We must admit that there has been some overtourism that put a strain on our infrastructure. We know there is overcrowding in north Goa. But we have started working on this to resolve it. We are also keen that technology is adopted at every stage. We have been having regular meetings with the stakeholders. We have also taken up issues with the Centre for issues like high airfares.”
