MAPUSA
The Goa Tourism Department spent approximately Rs 14.5 crore last year to promote the State at international destinations through roadshows, events and exhibitions.
Additionally, Rs 1.97 crore was allocated for a digital hoarding advertisement campaign at Times Square in New York, USA.
This expenditure is significantly higher than previous years, with Rs 3.40 crore spent in 2022-23 and Rs 1.66 crore in 2021-22 for promoting Goa internationally.
Promotional activities were conducted in various countries, including Germany, Spain, Austria, France, Dubai, Singapore, Japan and Uzbekistan.
However, tourists from these nations were not offered visa-on-arrival facilities.
Despite the substantial investment in marketing, the department could not provide data on the number of tourists arriving from each country.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, in a written reply to a starred question by Goa Forward MLA Vijai Sardesai, stated that country-wise tourist data is unavailable as source agencies only submit consolidated figures of international tourist arrivals.
In terms of infrastructure, the State had 75,973 registered hotel rooms as of January 2025.
However, the department was unable to provide occupancy rates for these accommodations, citing an ongoing process of collating data through specialised software.
Foreign tourist arrivals in Goa have shown an upward trend, with 4.67 lakh visitors in 2024 compared to 4.52 lakh in 2023.
The figures stood at 1.69 lakh in 2022, 22,128 in 2021 and 3 lakh in 2020, a period severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
International visitors reached Goa through charter flights, scheduled international flights, cruises and domestic flight connections.
To encourage foreign tourism, the government offers various incentives to tourism stakeholders, including a platform to exhibit at international exhibitions through the Goa Pavilion, waivers on participation fees and organised familiarisation (FAM) trips.
Additionally, with government approval, stakeholders are provided incentives towards travel and accommodation expenses for participation in international exhibitions.
Despite these promotional efforts and incentives, the lack of granular tourist data raises concerns about the effectiveness of the spending and the State's ability to measure the success of its campaigns in attracting international visitors.
