Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte announced that Goa has surpassed its pre-COVID tourism figures, driven largely by a significant rise in domestic arrivals. From January to June 2025, the state recorded 5.45 million tourist arrivals, including 5.18 million domestic and 0.27 million international tourists—marking an 8.4% year-on-year growth.
Highlighting international connectivity, Khaunte confirmed that direct flights between Goa and Gatwick (UK) will resume shortly, further boosting inbound tourism.
On infrastructure, he stated that work has begun on the Unity Mall project, with final drawings due on July 31. The project has received a ₹161 crore sanction, while the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Digital Museum has been allocated ₹125 crore, including ₹98 crore from the Centre.
As part of cultural promotion, Siolim has been declared the permanent venue for the annual São João festival, and under the Ekadasha Teertha spiritual tourism initiative, 11 temples have been mapped into three spiritual routes, serviced by GTDC buses. Tenders are out for creating nine common tourist amenities at these heritage sites.
The month of June 2025 alone saw 8.34 lakh tourist arrivals, attributed to cultural events, creek tours, and monsoon forest stays that helped maintain strong occupancy rates.
While noting the potential of visa-on-arrival schemes, Khaunte stressed that improving domestic and international connectivity remains a greater priority for sustainable tourism development.
He also announced that World Tourism Day 2025 will be celebrated as a month-long festival to enliven Goa’s monsoon season and promote off-season travel.
