Tourism in Goa to grow by 6.23% in 2025, and the number of international visitors to rise by 29.33%, ETTravelWorld

Image credit – iStock-1157048446

Goa’s tourism industry continues its upward trajectory, with the total number of tourists increasing by 6.23 per cent between January and September 2025 compared to the same period last year. Tourism Minister Rohan A Khunti announced the figures during a press conference, noting that the number of domestic arrivals rose by 5.36 per cent – from 69,24,938 in 2024 to 72,96,068 in 2025 – while the number of international arrivals rose by 29.33 per cent, from 2,59,820 to 3,36,031.

Tourism contributes about 16.43 per cent to Goa’s GDP and generates 40-45 per cent employment, both directly and indirectly. Khunti stressed that the state recorded growth even during the monsoon months, which confirms the success of its efforts to push tourism throughout the year.

The briefing was attended by Kedar Naik, Director of Tourism. Gavin Dias, General Manager (Hotels and Marketing), GTDC; and Deepak Narvekar, Deputy General Manager (Hotels and Marketing), GTDC.

Highlighting the international expansion, Khunty said Goa has expanded its footprint to destinations such as Ekaterinburg, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Moscow, resulting in 34 charter flights from Russia and Central Asia in October 2025 alone. He added that TUI Airways would soon start direct flights from Manchester and Gatwick, potentially bringing in 30-40,000 passengers, and that new markets in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland were being targeted.

The Minister stressed the importance of responsible and sustainable tourism, pointing to the early opening of beach huts, timely approvals for water sports operators, and strict action against non-compliant companies. Six cottage licenses have been revoked this year due to subleasing violations.

He announced upcoming policies on air sports and health tourism under the ‘Goa Beyond Beaches’ initiative, along with measures to promote meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions, adventure and eco-tourism. A verification drive for hotel registrations is now underway, and all renewals are now being processed online to facilitate compliance.

Khunti also unveiled two new community initiatives – a certified tourism facilitator program with 72 guides already in operation, and a beach photography recording system for Goan residents to boost local entrepreneurship.

The Central government has allocated INR 472 crore for major projects under Swadesh Darshan, Town Square, Unity Mall and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Digital Museum.

Khunti concluded that Goa’s tourism growth will now focus on “moving from enforcement to empowerment”, supported by collaboration, innovation and sustainability, as the state explores new sectors such as organized economy to strengthen its tourism ecosystem.

Join a 2M+ community of industry professionals.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest insights and analysis in your inbox.

Everything about the ETTravelWorld industry directly on your smartphone!