Tourists don’t want to fly here anymore. The great crisis in a holiday paradise
A well-known tourist region is going through a serious crisis. Over the last eight years, the number of foreign tourists has halved.
In 2017, Goa was visited by nearly one million foreign tourists annually. Today, only 500,000 people come to this state on the west coast of the Indian Peninsula. people. What happened that this exotic paradise is experiencing such a significant crisis? There are many reasons – one of the most interesting is the greater interest in Vietnam and Sri Lanka, which have significantly simplified visa procedures for guests from Europe. Meanwhile, Russians, once popular guests in Goa, prefer holidays in Turkey and Egypt, as it is simply cheaper there.
Goa’s problem: huge decline in foreign tourists
While the number of domestic tourists in Goa has increased from 6.8 million in 2016 to over 10 million last year, foreign tourists are no longer as keen on visiting the region. The tropical state in India, attracting with its golden beaches on the Arabian Sea, was a destination for approximately 500,000 people. tourists in 2025. This is a decrease of almost half compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. However, according to the BBC, it was not only the consequences of the global pandemic that affected tourist traffic. Foreigners are gradually losing interest in the region, and the reasons for this are constantly increasing.
One of the latter is the global geopolitical situation, which discourages travel through the Middle East. Ticket prices themselves, regardless of the route, also have a significant impact. “Some of my friends are choosing Turkey or Egypt this year instead of Goa, because it is closer to home and cheaper,” admits one of the Russian tourists, quoted by the BBC.
Goa has become too expensive and difficult to access
Another factor is longer and more difficult visa procedures, as well as an increase in fees for the five-year visas used by nomads. Tourists therefore turned to Vietnam and Sri Lanka, which adapted their entry rules to their advantage. “Today’s traveler wants to make quick decisions and organize last-minute trips. So, delay in processing visa applications is definitely one of the main factors contributing to the decline in travel numbers,” said Ernest Dias, committee member, Goa Tourism Department.
In recent years, business tourism has also begun to develop intensively in Goa, which has resulted in an increase in the prices of stays in higher-class hotels. “Compared to Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the offer of affordable stays in beach resorts in Goa is more limited,” we read.
