MARGAO: The South Goa hospitality industry is getting increasingly weary of the drop in the number of foreign and high-quality tourists visiting the State due to the prolonged disturbance in Israel and Russia along with better alternatives available globally.
The lengthy conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, Gaza and Israel, have been main reasons behind the drop in flights from Russia and Israel, two countries from which Goa would typically receive a lot of tourists. This uncertainty has also disrupted the arrival of foreign tourists from other countries.
Tourism stakeholders have lamented that foreign tourists are seeking other destinations like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, and Vietnam instead of Goa. Issues like visa on arrival, cheap airport landing charges, and better tourism infrastructure are the reasons why those foreign tourists are deciding against traveling to Goa.
In 2019, total 9,37,113 foreign tourists visited Goa, while up to November 2023, the numbers were only 4,03,403 (see table).
A whopping 80,64,400 domestic tourists came to Goa in 2019. Though it dropped in 2020 to 29,71,726 it jumped to 76,05,392 till November last year.
While the number of foreign tourists has dipped compared to previous years, they admit that the influx of domestic tourists has helped salvage the season. There are some concerns that even Indian tourists are choosing other destinations in the country and abroad instead of Goa.
However, the numbers are still high and are nearing pre-pandemic arrivals, serving as a boost to the tourism stakeholders.
“The quality of the number of foreign tourists has come down drastically. In fact, even Indian tourists are less at shacks. The situation is such that some shacks are running empty as they cannot manage their daily expenses,” said Cruz Cardozo, President of Shack Welfare Owners Society (SWOS).
“You have touts harassing the tourists here. There is a need for the police or the tourism department to keep a strong check on all these touts. This is what the government should have been doing. The government also needs to do much more in terms of bringing in new tourists and getting back the foreign tourists that used to come to Goa,” Cardozo added.
Dixon Vaz, the Vice President of Small and Medium Hotelier Association of Goa (SMHAG), felt that the commissioning of Mopa airport in the North has had a huge impact in South Goa, including domestic tourists, as flights now land there instead of the South Goa-based Dabolim airport.
“Tourists can't afford to spend too much on taxi services to and from Mopa for short holidays. Many luxury hotels focus on destination weddings and conferences, leaving few options for Free Individual travellers (FIT),” said Vaz.
“Apart from the beaches, there isn't much for tourists who travel with their families to do. Public transportation is inadequate, and tourists want to explore using local options. Improved beach facilities, toilets, changing rooms, better illumination, and footpaths are essential to enhance the tourist experience. All of these improvements are necessary to boost tourist numbers,” said Vaz.
Serafin Cota, SMHAG, lamented that Goa had suffered due to the impact of reduced foreign tourists during the season. Highlighting the current situation, Cota noted a drastic reduction in Russian flights to six per week from what was once four flights a day. Pointing out the historical significance, Cota emphasised on the sharp drop in charter flights from England, once reaching 800 to 900 per season, now reduced to 80—only 10% of 2007 levels. This decline, he pointed out contrasts with a 400% growth in accommodation offerings, resulting in a supply-demand disparity.
Cota urged governmental intervention to attract tourists from new countries, proposing cost-effective measures like reduced landing fees, parking charges, and visa costs, encouraging on-arrival visa applications tied to registered hotels.
He emphasised on the untapped potential in promoting Goa to diverse destinations beyond the UK and Russia, aiming to draw quality tourists and revitalize the tourism sector.
TTAG President Nilesh Shah said, “The number of flights which are coming are quite less because of the warlike situation at two places-Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas. Before Covid pandemic we used to get six flights daily. Now we are getting six flights a week. The tourists used to come from Israel with their families. The numbers which are expected are not there for sure. It will be difficult to get them, till the situation improves.”