Govt reviews travel trends as rising fuel costs create uncertainty for tourism sector
With uncertainty continuing over the global conflict situation and its possible impact on international travel, the Goa government has begun working on a strategic tourism plan aimed at sustaining tourist inflow and tapping new markets over the next six to seven months.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Thursday held a high-level meeting with stakeholders, including hoteliers, airport officials, charter operators, tour operators and tourism associations, to review the current tourism trends and discuss the road ahead for the industry amid emerging global challenges.
The discussions focused largely on the impact of the ongoing US-Iran conflict and instability in the Middle East, rising crude oil and fuel prices, airline connectivity challenges, and the need for Goa to reposition itself strategically in a highly competitive global tourism market.
Speaking after the meeting, Khaunte said Goa’s tourism industry had been performing well until the recent geopolitical tensions emerged. He noted that from January to April, the State witnessed strong inflow driven by weddings, conferences, family holidays and Gen Z travellers, leaving the industry satisfied with the overall tourism performance.
The Minister, however, admitted that the global conflict has created uncertainty at a time when the industry was running smoothly. “There is a ceasefire now, but we still do not know what will happen next. We have to remain both pessimistic and optimistic while planning ahead,” he said.
Khaunte said the government is now closely monitoring global travel patterns and preparing contingency plans in case tourist arrivals from certain countries decline due to the war situation.
Khaunte said the government intends to draft a comprehensive six-month tourism action plan and has invited all stakeholders for another brainstorming session on May 20 to finalise strategies and market positioning.
“We need to assess whether countries which were earlier contributing strong tourist numbers will sustain those numbers or see a drop. If numbers fall, what is our backup plan? At the same time, which new markets can Goa target?” he said.
Khaunte said Goa is specifically exploring opportunities to attract tourists from countries not affected by the conflict or not dependent on flight routes over the Middle East.
“The areas not impacted by the war or not flying over the Middle East, can we tap those countries and how do we attract them to Goa? That is part of our strategic positioning exercise,” he added.
The Minister said the State will now focus heavily on monsoon tourism, building on the success of last year’s monsoon tourism campaign and packages which helped sustain the hospitality industry during the off-season.
