Tourism in Goa has bounced back to a large extent post Covid but foreign visitors are giving the state the go by, preferring instead destinations like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, Turkey and Malaysia which offer more bang for their buck. Foreign arrivals have seen a steep decline of 82% in 2022 compared to 2018. With the delay in e-visa rollout by India for British nationals, the Ukraine - Russia conflict and Gaza hostilities, people are hesitant to move out of their countries which is not helping Goa's case. Resumption of charter flights from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has to some extent alleviated the issue. Before Covid Goa had 5 charter flights a day from Russia itself. Almost 40% of Goa's population directly or indirectly depends on tourism for their livelihood and things are looking bleak at the moment. It is time to tweak the tourism policy and focus more on domestic visitors. With higher disposable incomes, young and middle aged Indians are travelling and spending more , maybe the government should actively woo the millennials and generation Z to make up for the loss of foreign tourists.
