Goa to appoint consultants to assess carrying capacity of major tourist sites

State tourism minister Rohan Khaunte said the state government is examining proposals to determine the sustainable tourist load for Goa

The Goa government is appointing consultants to assess the carrying capacity of major tourist locations to determine whether peak-season arrivals exceed the civic infrastructure capacity.

There have been growing demands for a capacity study.

In a written reply in the state assembly on Wednesday, tourism minister Rohan Khaunte said the government is examining proposals to determine the sustainable tourist load, particularly for coastal and heritage areas, and the impact of tourists on water supply, sewage treatment, solid waste management, and traffic congestion.

The Goa government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for a carrying capacity study. TERI will also establish a Centre of Excellence for Natural Resource Management and Ecotourism in the state, focused on coastal and marine resource management, promotion of the blue economy, climate change mitigation, eco-tourism, etc.

There have been growing demands for a capacity study and protests over rampant construction, which is changing the face of Goa’s countryside. The protesters raised concerns over the availability of piped water, garbage collection mechanisms, and traffic on narrow village roads.

In 2025, over 10 million tourists visited the state. Nearly 95% of them were domestic tourists. The number of foreign tourists arriving via charters has continued to fall.