IS THE GOA OF OLD GONE FOR GOOD?

After a massive post-pandemic boom, the state's tourism sector has been hit by excess supply

- Soumya Gupta

Clockwise: Guests prepare for a wedding on a south Goa beach; crowds throng the iconic Tito's Lane to party in Baga; villas under construction in north Goa; cars on rent for tourists; a signboard warns tourists to stay away from a private parking spot in north Goa.

(SOUMYA GUPTA)

Nothing beats the excitement of pulling up the next year's calendar and charting out long weekends and end-of-year festivities months in advance.

But 28-year-old Suyash from Bengaluru, who visits Goa for its beaches and water sports every year, has nixed those plans altogether this year.

"I generally like beach and scuba vacations," he told Mint, asking not to be identified by more than his first name. Last month, he booked an impromptu trip to Thailand. The math was simple: return flights from Bengaluru to Krabi in southern Thailand were ₹17,000 only while a return ticket to Goa was ₹9,000 for the same dates. Hotel rooms with a jacuzzi and a view were only ₹7,500 a night, compared to ₹20,000 in Goa, and despite Phuket's 'taxi mafia', there were plenty of cabs on aggregator apps such as Bolt and Grab.

"The total cost of the Thailand trip was about ₹90,000 per person. A similar trip in Goa would have been double the price, even with cheaper domestic tickets," said Suyash. Adding insult to injury, he declared, "And obviously the beaches in Krabi are much more beautiful."

Suyash isn't planning a leisure trip to Goa anytime soon, even though he's from the state and has family there.

Communications professional Bidya, in her late 30s, also ditched plans to take her family for a New Year's Eve trip to Goa this year. She's going to Sri Lanka instead.