PANAJI
As Goa enters its Christmas-New Year peak, airfares from major Indian cities are rising sharply in the days leading up to Christmas, before softening again towards New Year’s Eve -- pattern that broadly mirrors last year, though with steeper spikes on select routes and wider daily swings.
A comparison of fares for December 21 to 31 shows that Goa remains relatively accessible from nearby metros such as Mumbai and Bengaluru, while travellers from northern and rival leisure destinations are paying a festive premium.
From Bengaluru, one of Goa’s biggest feeder markets, fares start at a modest Rs 3,826 on December 21 and dip to Rs 3,521 on December 22.
The spike begins on December 23, with prices climbing to Rs 5,172 and peaking at Rs 6,765 on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day itself remains expensive at Rs 5,978.
The post-Christmas dip is brief. While fares fall back to Rs 3,521 on December 27 and 28, they rise again to Rs 6,184 on December 30 before easing to Rs 3,521 on December 31.
Last year, Bengaluru-Goa tickets hovered between Rs 4,000 and Rs 7,500 around Christmas but plunged to as low as Rs 2,250 on New Year’s Eve.
From New Delhi, fares remain elevated throughout the period. Prices range from Rs 7,114 on December 22 to a peak of Rs 8,834 on December 24. Even on December 31, tickets cost Rs 6,189 – slightly less than last year’s New Year’s Eve average of about Rs 6,500.
Mumbai continues to be the most price-sensitive route as fares open at Rs 3,675 on December 21, surge past Rs 5,900 on December 23 and 24, and then fluctuate through the week. December 31 tickets are available at Rs 3,525, which is close to last year’s rock-bottom rates of under Rs 3,000.
From Jaipur -- a rival leisure and high-end travel destination -- fares to Goa are the steepest. Prices cross Rs 11,000 on December 21, rise to nearly Rs 12,000 on December 28, and touch a high of Rs 13,598 on December 30. Even the cheapest day, December 22, costs Rs 6,817.
In 2024, long-haul domestic routes to Goa largely stayed within the Rs 7,000-Rs 10,000 range during Christmas week. This year’s Jaipur fares indicate both limited capacity and a willingness among travellers to pay more for Goa’s year-end pull.
Train services to Goa are also running at full capacity, with most tickets on waiting lists carrying less than a 50 percent chance of confirmation, indicating heavy festive-season demand.
Meanwhile, the Goa Police, including the Traffic Police, have devised a comprehensive strategy to manage crowds during the peak festive period, particularly along the coastal belt.
