Goa draws 5.3 million visitors in 2015
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Goa recorded a sharp rise in tourism arrivals in 2015.
According to the latest data from Goa’s Department of Tourism, reported by the Financial Express, the Indian resort area welcomed a total of 5.3 million visitors last year, up 30.5% compared to 2014. This included 4.8m domestic arrivals, up 34% year-on-year, and 541,000 international visitors, up 5.4%.
The new e-tourist visa scheme, which is now available at Goa Airport, helped boost international arrivals to Goa, authorities said. Close to 50,000 e-visas were issued at the airport last year, mostly to visitors from the UK, Russia, UAE and US, and this is expected to increase in 2016 as the scheme is expanded to more countries.
The newspaper quoted Goa’s Minister for Tourism, Dilip Parulekar, as saying; “We are delighted to know that despite various negative geo-political situations across the globe, tourism in Goa is not hit in any way.
“We have received a good response from foreign and domestic tourists in 2015 as in the past. Our new initiatives, marketing and promoting is showing substantial results and we are optimistic that tourists will choose Goa as their destination for holidaying.”
** This story has been updated with new figures**
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