Goa sees 39% rise in domestic tourist arrivals post-Covid: Minister Khaunte

Goa recorded 71.27 lakh domestic, 9.37 lakh international tourists in 2019. Footfall surged to 99.41 lakh domestic, 4.67 lakh international tourists in 2024

Panaji: Goa has witnessed a 39% growth in domestic tourist arrivals between 2019 (pre-COVID) and 2024, tourism minister Rohan Khaunte said on Thursday, slamming “paid social media influencers” for “attempting to paint a wrong picture” of the state.

This year, Khaunte said that between January and June, 57.12 lakh domestic tourists and 3.25 lakh foreign tourists have visited Goa. (Representative photo)

Speaking in the Goa legislative assembly, Khaunte said the department has improved its data collection systems, which show that Goa recorded 71.27 lakh domestic and 9.37 lakh international tourists in 2019, and the footfall surged to 99.41 lakh domestic and 4.67 lakh international tourists in 2024. “This reflects a 39% growth in domestic tourism compared to pre-COVID levels and a 50% recovery in international tourism. These numbers clearly show that tourism is thriving,” he said.

This year, Khaunte said that between January and June, 57.12 lakh domestic tourists and 3.25 lakh foreign tourists have visited Goa.

The data shows that between January and June, Goa recorded 57,12,758 tourist arrivals, including 34,64,490 domestic arrivals through Goa Dabolim International Airport in Vasco and 22,48,268 through Manohar International Airport at Mopa. International arrivals stood at 3,25,835, with 1,15,645 arriving via Goa Dabolim International Airport and 2,10,190 through Manohar International Airport.

“Many of these so-called influencers are sitting outside the state, getting paid to create noise that doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground,” Khaunte said. “When we presented the official data, none of them had a response.”

“Flights and hotels are almost full. We [Goans] can see the growth happening. In the past six months, both the airports have seen consistently high footfalls, and hotel occupancy has remained between 70 to 100% all year-round,” he said.

Earlier, BJP legislator Michael Lobo had said that the state government was giving ‘incorrect’ figures, including data of tourists, locals, and emigrants who were moving to and from the state.

Data on tourist arrivals and hotel occupancy is captured through the Tourism Information Management Enterprise (TIME) software, a centralised digital platform developed to streamline the process of data collection and analysis across the state’s tourism accommodation sector. All registered hotels, guesthouses, and homestays are mandated to use TIME to log guest check-ins and report occupancy statistics on a real-time basis. This initiative helps the department monitor tourism trends, improve planning, and make data-driven policy decisions.

Khaunte said that an e-visa programme was initiated with 170 countries and visa-on-arrival is currently available at select metro airports. He has requested the Centre to extend the visa-on-arrival facility to Goa as well and suggested involving coastal MLAs to push the demand forward.

“Goa is now linked to several parts of the world,” Khaunte said, adding that efforts like roadshows and marketing campaigns have opened up previously untapped international tourist segments.