Goa still feeling Covid pinch, foreign tourists nowhere near pre-pandemic levels

According to data shared by the Ministry of Tourism, in response to a written question in Lok Sabha by South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha, on the trend of arrival of foreign tourists in Goa, 9.34 lakh foreign tourists visited Goa in 2018, followed by a marginal increase in 2019 (9.37 lakh).

In 2020, when the pandemic hit, 3.03 lakh foreign tourists visited Goa. In 2021, when the second wave of Coronavirus led to a massive surge in Covid cases, only 22,000 foreign tourists visited Goa. Last year, the number rose to 1.75 lakh.

According to sources, over 70 lakh domestic tourists visited Goa in 2022, only marginally lower than in 2018, when 70.8 lakh tourists from across the country visited the state.

Nilesh Shah, president, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, said conflicts in Russia, Ukraine and West Asia and a relatively hassle-free visa documentation process in some South-east Asian countries were the primary reasons for fewer foreign tourists visiting the state and a relatively slower recovery.

“When it comes to foreign tourists, we are still far off the numbers during the pre-pandemic years. Due to conflicts in Russia and Ukraine and now in Israel and Palestine, several flights have been cancelled. Earlier, five charter flights used to arrive daily from Russia and now five flights arrive over a week. A lot of international travellers, who earlier used to visit Goa, have started opting for Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam… partly due to relatively less cumbersome visa issues and partly for a different travel experience. Some countries are now offering visa on arrival to lure foreign tourists,” he said.

“Some new flights have started recently from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and it is projected that by the end of this season, the number of foreign tourists could significantly rise. On the domestic front, so far the numbers this season have been subdued, not just in Goa but across the country,” he said.

Regarding steps taken by the government for a ‘recovery’ to pre-pandemic levels, the reply from the Minister of Tourism said the Goa government notified the Tourist Trade Support (Working Capital Interest Subvention) Scheme, 2021, to support MSMEs in tourism industry, which were adversely affected due to pandemic, by subsidising working capital loans for six months.

The government said another scheme, International Charter Support (Waiver of Landing Fees) Scheme, 2021, was notified to provide relaxation in landing charges of international charters to Goa to attract more charters by reducing the burden on cost of operation of international chartered flights.

“Under the said scheme (which was in force from October 2021 to March 2022), reimbursement was given to charters up to maximum of Rs 1 lakh per international charter flight on landing charges, excluding GST, at Dabolim Airport during the period of the scheme,” the reply stated.