Goa New Year 2025! Is The Party Capital Of India Losing Its Charm? Details Inside

Many luxury resorts have reported high occupancy rates and even had to issue 'stop sales' advisories to travel agents and online portals for December and January, as per the report

"The people who come to Calangute and Baga are usually the first-timers," said a tourism department official in the report (Image for representation)

Source : Twitter/ GhumIndiaGhum

Recently a video shared on social media of unusually empty streets of Goa during the peak new year season has gone viral, drawing widespread attention and raising questions. The video was shared by Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj on X (formerly Twitter), where she wrote, "Goa is almost empty. Hardly any tourists. It should be a wake-up call for the government. Hope they do something, especially about the transport."

However, her claim was swiftly challenged by another X user, Shajan Samuel, who wrote, "False information. Goa is fully packed."

In response, Bhardwaj posted another video on December 29, showing a nearly empty market. She wrote, "For those calling me a liar. This was last night on roads that used to be totally jam-packed around New Year.”

Meanwhile, according to a The Times of India report, Domestic airlines and international charter operators reported that flights to Goa were fully booked during the last 10 days of December. Goa International Airport managed 150 flights on December 29, while Manohar International Airport handled an average of 100 flights daily in the final week of the month.

Steady Footfall

“Compared to last year, on the last Sunday of Dec, we had 150 flight movements in the day. This is very good. Many are saying that Goa is highly priced and tourists are moving to other sectors, but the traffic is there. Seventy-five flights arriving at an airport is not a small number for Goa,” said Goa International Airport director M C Jayarajan, according to the report.

While acknowledging a solid turnout, tourism stakeholders admit that the expected surge in arrivals did not materialize. They have noted a clear shift in the profile of visitors to the state, with more tourists opting for private apartments and villas over traditional hotel accommodations, as per the report.

It further reveals that the new wave of travellers seems to prefer experiences beyond Calangute beach, which is now more associated with budget tourists arriving in buses or large passenger cars. "People would rather not go to a concrete jungle. Calangute has already peaked. New locations like Assagao, Morjim, Ashwem, Siolim, and Anjuna are the new destinations. The people who come to Calangute and Baga are usually the first-timers," said a tourism department official in the report.

Goa Can Not Maintain A High Growth

The official further highlighted that Goa cannot maintain a 10 per cent year-on-year growth in tourist arrivals, as it would lead to overcrowding. The goal is to reduce the number of tourists while increasing the revenue per visitor. “We would rather have a 10 per cent drop in footfalls and a 20 per cent growth in yield," the official explained.

Many luxury resorts have reported high occupancy rates and even had to issue 'stop sales' advisories to travel agents and online portals for December and January due to high demand for weddings and conferences, as per the report.

"Manohar International Airport handled an average of 15,000 passengers every day. Compared to last year, the traffic growth is almost flat this year. It is 3 per cent if you put Dabolim and Mopa together. We could have handled 30,000 passengers per day so from that point of view, things could have been better," said R V Seshan, CEO of GMR Goa International Airport, as per the report.

Stakeholders suggest that both domestic and international visitors are shifting their focus to newer, more attractive destinations, indicating a change in travel preferences and raising questions about the long-term impact on Goa’s tourism sector, states the report.