Shift Take

Goa tries to be about more than just its beaches. But with low international tourism numbers, it has a lot of work to do to dig itself out of its hole.

Bulbul Dhawan

Goa doesn’t get enough foreign tourists: Official Goa tourism figures show that foreign arrivals in 2023 were not even half of 2019 levels: Only 450,000 visitors against 937,000.

“Russians and British who used to visit annually have chosen Sri Lanka instead,” said Indian legal entrepreneur Ramanuj Mukherjee at X recently.

Mukherjee also referred to the “exploitation of tourists” and said that even Indian tourists would soon “dump” Goa in favor of cheaper destinations.

Elaborating on the “exploitation” bit, commenters were quick to share their own issues with Goa.

The biggest complaint was about taxis. Goa had banned Uber and India-based cab aggregator Ola following pressure from local taxi operators. Tourists complained of being charged exorbitant prices by taxi drivers.

Visitors on social media also said that Goa lacked cleanliness as the beaches were littered and untidy, especially compared to the beaches of the Maldives or Thailand.

Competition from rival destinations

And as Mukherjee noted, Goa faces a lot of competition. Neighboring countries offer visa-free travel to Indians.

Jack Sukhija, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and owner of Goa’s first heritage hotel, the Panjim Inn, acknowledged the problems.

“The airport is in a corner of the state and sometimes taxi drivers quote very high prices. Since Goa does not have Uber, it creates a perception among travelers that they are not being charged a fair price. It also leads to loss of time and is generally inconvenient.”

And the competition for visitors is only getting tougher. “Southeast Asian destinations are aggressively wooing Indian travelers. These places have good air connections and in some ways some destinations are better value for money,” he said.

Reasons for optimism

Still, Sukhija said the problems are overstated.

“The situation in Goa is not bleak as it is being portrayed,” he said. “That is correct international tourists to the entire country has decreased and is still below pre-Covid levels. But Goa’s recovery last year outpaced that of the rest of the country. In fact, 2023 would be called ‘a good year’ for foreign tourists.”

Visits in 2023 increased by 260% from 2022.

Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of India’s largest hotel chain Indian Hotels Company, also sounds more optimistic.

“We are investing in the off-season in Goa,” Chhatwal said on a recent earnings call. “A lot of investment has been made because, during the last phase of Covid and when he came out of the pandemic, Goa was the first destination and as a cash cow. When we announce the results for the next quarter, you will see a different Goa.”

Sukhija said there has been a significant increase in hotel rooms, indicating strong demand. – About 7,500 hotels are registered with the tourism department. There are also others who have not yet registered because they are still in the process, he says.

Goa Tourism’s response

In response to the decline in tourist numbers, Goa Tourism shared its ongoing efforts to increase tourism and improve visitor experience.

Goa highlighted the ‘Pink Force’ initiative in place for the safety of women travellers, a much debated topic in Indiaalong with its Beach Vigil app that allows citizens and tourists to report illegal activities.

However, the department noted challenges such as limited international air connections and high hotel and flight prices. While airlines such as Uzbekistan Airways starting commercial operations to Goa, new charter flights from key markets such as Moscow, Yekaterinburg, London, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan may also help address the issue of connectivity.

Goa Tourism has also initiated collaborations with airlines to strengthen its direct international connections.

The state also takes care expand its image beyond the shores and is looking to attract more digital nomads to the destination.

It also said that it would be unfair to compare Goa with other destinations because “Goa is a state of India,” while Sri Lanka, to which Goa is compared, “is a country.”