Goa Tourism: The beaches which were once crowded with foreigners are now less crowded. Due to this, local businessmen are worried about the future of their business.. After all, what is the reason for the decline in the number of foreign tourists coming to Goa..? Let's see..
Goa is a favorite place for tourists in the country.. but how did the number of foreign tourists coming here suddenly decrease..? The state has seen a massive 60% decline in foreign tourist arrivals. Beaches that were once crowded are now empty.
Tourist numbers dropped by more than half in four years: Goa welcomed nearly 9.4 lakh foreign tourists in 2019, according to local daily 'Heraldo'. But by November 2023, this number has reduced by more than half to only 4.03 lakh. Half of Goa's tourism industry depends on foreign tourists.
Why did foreign tourists decrease? : Local Goan businessman Ramanuj Mukherjee said on social media platform X that foreign tourists have already left the state of Goa.. which highlights the huge decline in the number of foreign tourists. The Russians and the British, who used to come here every year, have now chosen Sri Lanka.
What is the problem of tourism in Goa: Tourists have to face a lot of challenges from the local taxi mafia. This has had a huge impact on tourists and local residents. Tourist numbers have declined due to expensive fares by taxi operators, lack of metered services and ignorance of government regulations.
Ola-Uber Absence of online services: The situation in Goa is not due to the absence of online ride-hailing services like Ola and Uber, which operate at most of the major tourist destinations in India, when Ola tried to launch in Goa in 2014. Taxi unions went on strike. Also put pressure on the government to block the app. This is also one of the reasons for the decline in the number of tourists.
Geopolitical factors: According to a report by Heraldo, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and unrest between Israel and Palestine have also led to a decline in the number of tourists visiting Goa from these regions. There were about five chartered flights from Russia to Goa every day. There are now about a dozen flights a week, reports Goa Everyday.
E-Visa Process: Apart from these challenges, there is also the delay policy of the Government of India in the e-Visa process for UK citizens. This has led to a decline in the number of European tourists and has continuously affected the flow of international tourists to Goa.