PANAJI
Goa may face competition from larger States in relation to tourist footfalls, but it can definitely stake claim to being India’s number 1 leisure destination. For a small State, Goa certainly stands out as a highly sought-after leisure destination and the number of starred luxury hotels bear this out.
With 32 five-star hotels in a geographical area of 3704 square kilometers, Goa has 1 five-star hotel for every 98 square kilometers.
Compare this to the main competitors, Kerala which has 1 such hotel for every 925 square kilometers, and also Maharashtra, which has 1 for every 8800 square kilometers.
In the whole numbers, Kerala and Maharashtra have more five-star hotels than Goa, but area wise Goa certainly scores over its competitors in the realm of luxury accommodations, boasting of impressive 5-star and 5-star deluxe hotels that cater to upscale visitors.
The recent data comes against the backdrop of competitor States bragging about handling a significantly higher turnover of tourists due to various activities. With Goa’s clear focus on attracting high-end tourists, this recent data serves as a substantial boost.
According to the figures available with The Goan, the coastal State boasts a combined total of 32 high-end hotels, with 17 being 5-star deluxe establishments and 15 5-star hotels that serve alcohol. Among these, the 5-star deluxe hotels offer a collective accommodation capacity of 2886 rooms, while the 5-star hotels with alcohol have 1488 rooms. These numbers are in addition to the rooms available in other hotel categories.
In comparison, Kerala, which stands as Goa’s main competitor owing to its similar tourism attributes, possesses a total of 42 high-end hotels.
Among these, there are 21 5-star hotels serving alcohol, nine deluxe hotels, and 12 5-star hotels without alcohol. In addition to these, Kerala boasts a significant count of 535 4-star and 3-star hotels, catering to a substantial number of budget-conscious tourists.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte had last year claimed that Goa would initiate its own advertising campaign to rival Kerala’s well-known “God's Own Abode” campaign.
In Maharashtra, which is also a threat in drawing tourists away from Goa, there are a total of 35 5-star hotels, comprising 21 5-star deluxe hotels, 12 5-star hotels with alcohol, and two 5-star hotels without alcohol.
Delhi, the national capital, boasts of 27 5-star hotels. Rajasthan, another prominent destination attracting a significant share of tourists, holds a slightly lower count of 14 5-star hotels. However, the desert state boasts an impressive 16 heritage hotels, which offer 695 rooms for its visitors against which Goa possesses only one government-approved heritage hotel.
