Losing Goa |
For decades, Goa occupied a singular place in the global imagination. It was not merely a beach destination, but a cultural mood ~ inexpensive, unhurried, and faintly detached from the commercial anxieties of modern tourism. Western backpackers, Russian charter tourists, ageing hippies and middle-class Europeans seeking winter sun all found in Goa something that was becoming rare elsewhere: informality without sterility. That era is visibly fading. The decline in foreign arrivals to Goa is often explained away through external shocks ~ the pandemic, the Ukraine war, volatile airfares, and geopolitical instability. These factors are real, but they do not fully explain the trend.
The more uncomfortable truth is that Goa has gradually ceased to offer what international tourists once travelled thousands of miles to experience. Tourism economies survive on comparative advantage. Goa once competed successfully because it combined affordability with atmosphere. Today, however, countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Sri Lanka deliver cleaner infrastructure, easier mobility, streamlined visa systems and far cheaper hospitality packages. In a fiercely competitive Asian tourism market, nostalgia is not an........