Hunt on for foreign tourists: Goa eyes new markets, targets Poland and Central Asia

Goa is intensifying efforts to revive foreign tourist arrivals, with new charter flights and outreach to emerging markets like Poland, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said on Thursday.

Goa welcomed over 54.5 lakh tourists, including 2.71 lakh foreign visitors, in the first half of 2025 - marking an 8% year-on-year growth in arrivals, according to the state tourism department.

However, foreign numbers remain below pre-COVID levels, prompting the state to diversify beyond traditional markets such as the UK and Russia. "We are connecting to newer markets like Poland, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan to attract more foreign tourists," Khaunte said at an event in New Delhi. 

Until recently, Goa largely focused on the UK and Russia. "We are focusing on foreign independent travellers, who are the spenders," the minister said. "We are also focusing on charter markets which have been coming in. So numbers-wise, we can say today that Goa is going to get great numbers as far as international footfall is concerned." 

Aeroflot now operates up to nine weekly flights to Goa, while new charters from Russian cities, including Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and Moscow, have recently begun. Charter flights from Kazakhstan are scheduled to start on October 25. 

"Goa is no longer just a holiday; it is India's model for responsible tourism built on People, Environment, and Economy. Every visit should leave Goa better than before," Khaunte said. "We are consciously moving from mass tourism to meaningful tourism, creating livelihoods and preserving Goa's identity."

Khaunte said the shift from volume to value tourism aims to build a sustainable and inclusive model. "From volumes, we are now looking for value and quality over quantity when it comes to tourists," he said. This change, he suggested, aims to prioritise longer stays and higher local spending.

On lagging foreign arrivals, the minister said, "From pre-COVID figures, the whole country is still in recovery. Each state is recovering by itself. But compared to the others, I can say our recovery has been better. We are talking about more than 50% of the recovery."

In the last few years, it has been seen that while foreign tourist arrivals have dipped, domestic tourists have compensated for the fall. The minister also stated that the domestic tourists have become real spenders. "The way the domestic tourist spends today, I can say that a domestic tourist has become a spender. So when we look at the business economics, domestic tourists have become real spenders within the country," Khaunte said. 

In 2024, Goa recorded a total of 1.04 crore tourist arrivals, including 99.4 lakh domestic visitors and 4.67 lakh international tourists.