Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Jul 13: Goa's tourism sector is witnessing contrasting travel trends this year, with railways recording a steady rise in visitor arrivals while the aviation sector faces growing volatility after a record-breaking surge in May was followed by a sharp decline in June.

Latest aviation data indicate that rail travel has maintained consistent growth during the first five months of 2026, whereas passenger movement through Goa's airports has fluctuated significantly, reflecting changing travel preferences among domestic tourists and fresh challenges for the State's aviation sector.

Between January and May 2026, around 19.88 lakh visitors arrived in Goa by train, compared with 18.61 lakh during the corresponding period last year, registering a healthy increase of 6.8 per cent.

Air passenger traffic, however, painted a less stable picture.

Goa's airports handled a record 18,18,485 passengers across 11,656 aircraft movements in May 2026, almost doubling the 9,55,088 passengers recorded in May 2025. Domestic passenger traffic accounted for 17,81,911 travellers during the month, while international passenger movement stood at 36,574, down from 40,046 in May last year.

The exceptional performance in May contrasted sharply with the trend recorded during the preceding months.

Passenger traffic in January 2026 stood at 11.82 lakh, slightly higher than the 11.65 lakh recorded in January 2025. However, numbers declined thereafter, with February handling 9.74 lakh passengers compared with 10.12 lakh a year earlier. March recorded 9.84 lakh passengers, down from 10.62 lakh in March 2025, while April registered 8.61 lakh passengers against 9.12 lakh during the same month last year.

International traffic also showed signs of weakening demand. Although January 2026 recorded 86,491 international passengers, up from 81,411 in January 2025, the improvement was not sustained. By May 2026, international passenger traffic had fallen to 36,574, lower than the 40,046 passengers recorded in the corresponding month of 2025.

The slowdown became more pronounced in June 2026, when Goa recorded one of the sharpest declines in domestic air traffic among Indian states. Domestic passenger movement fell 19.4 per cent year-on-year, dropping from 5,65,727 passengers in June 2025 to 4,55,993 in June this year.

The decline has also affected Goa's standing in the country's aviation network. During June, none of the domestic routes serving Goa featured among India's 10 busiest flight sectors, a list dominated by major business and transit routes such as Mumbai-Delhi, Bengaluru-Delhi and Mumbai-Bengaluru.