According to Goa’s tourism minister Rohan Khaunte, the number of visitors to the state increased by 6.23% between January and September of this year compared to the same time previous year. According to Khaunte, who spoke to the media, the state, which had suffered during the pandemic as foreign visits dried up, also saw an increase in the number of international visitors, with 3.36 lakh arrivals between January and September this year as opposed to 2.59 lakh during the same period in 2024.
In order to discourage tourists from visiting the state, the minister accused social media influencers of “targeting Goa during the last quarter of every year (when Goa’s tourism season starts).” While maintaining regular flights from Moscow, Almaty in Kazakhstan, and other locations, he noted that Goa has seen an increase in tourists this year from Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, two Russian cities that did not previously have direct flights to Goa.
Numbers have never been a problem for us. In addition to preserving our markets in the UK, where TUI Airways has started operations from Manchester and Gatwick this week, we have received 34 flights from Russia and Central Asia,” Khaunte stated, adding that the government was attempting to reclaim the lost markets of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. About 10 million tourists visit Goa each year during the non-monsoon months of October through May, with about 0.9 million of them being foreign visitors.
The state’s tourism stakeholders are concerned because, despite an increase in domestic visitor numbers since the Covid-19 epidemic, the number of foreign visitors has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. About 10 million tourists visit Goa each year during the non-monsoon months of October through May, with about 0.9 million of them being foreign visitors.
The state’s tourism stakeholders are concerned because, despite an increase in domestic visitor numbers since the Covid-19 epidemic, the number of foreign visitors has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. According to government data, the number of registered hotels in Goa has increased significantly over the same time period, rising from 3,647 in 2022 to 9,166 as of September 2025.
Over the course of 2024, the state welcomed 9.9 million visitors, including 0.4 million foreign visitors. According to the figures, the state saw 7.2 million visitors between January and September of this year, with 0.3 million of them being foreigners. When compared to the same time last year, we have seen an overall gain of 6.23%. We are hopeful that the current season will be favorable for the sector, which accounts for 40% of jobs and 16% of the state GDP, Khaunte stated.