PANAJI
As Christmas week settles over Goa, highways leading into the State are seeing steady traffic, but without the usual rush. About 150-200 vehicles from other States are entering Goa daily through border check-posts during this holiday period, industry sources said.
But while the numbers indicate some movement on paper, the flow of drive-in tourists suggests a season that is yet to return to its traditional peak momentum. Officials stated that the numbers are “within expectations”; however, the industry is less convinced.
“There is footfall, but not the kind we are used to. The State is witnessing non-Goa registered vehicles during this holiday period but not up to the mark,” President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) Jack Sukhija said.
He maintained that the last peak period was much better. “This time, a pile-up of unresolved issues has taken its toll,” he added.
A series of shocks have unsettled the state’s tourism ecosystem -- widely reported by The Goan: the fatal fire at Birch by Romeo Lane, disruptions owing to the Indigo aviation crisis, and the long-running taxi disputes, among several other pending issues, have repeatedly flared into controversy.
The past TTAG President Nilesh Shah said that while Christmas traditionally guarantees sell-out rooms, this year it portrays a different story. “There are bookings, yes, but not the volume of footfalls we would normally see,” he said adding, “By December 31, we usually talk about wait-lists. This time, despite a drop in flight fares and even hotel rates, that pressure is missing.” He too conceded that outstation vehicles are not up to industry’s expectations.
Shah said the fallout from the Birch fire, followed by the closure of several clubs operating illegally, has dimmed the nightlife that once pulled crowds to the coastal belt. The absence of marquee events has compounded the problem. “Sunburn isn’t happening. That alone takes away a huge chunk of tourists. Clubs operating illegally and are shut down in the latest drive by authorities... All of this sends red signals.”
In 2024, Goa recorded a strong surge during the Christmas-New Year window. Between December 20 and 31, Dabolim airport handled 1.2 lakh arriving passengers on 683 domestic flights, along with 4,700 international passengers on 27 flights. Domestic arrivals rose 27 percent compared with the same ten-day period in 2023.
Two years earlier, in 2022, hotels reported over 90 percent occupancy for Christmas and were virtually sold out for New Year.
“This season, by comparison, feels tentative. Cars are crossing the borders, flights are landing... but Goa’s winter peak is missing,” a senior member of the Shack Owners Welfare Society said.
