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Why are many Indian travellers picking Vietnam & Thailand over Goa

India’s outbound travel has exploded since 2023—and a big chunk of that demand is flowing to short-haul Southeast Asia. Thailand and Vietnam are attracting Indian holidaymakers who, until recently, would have typically headed to Goa for beach breaks. Here’s what’s driving the shift, how Goa is actually doing on volumes, and where things go next.

What’s tilting the scales

1) Visa & entry ease (friction down, spontaneity up).

• Thailand moved to e-Visa (Visa exemption) for India on 1 January 2025 and has repeatedly expanded/relaxed entry rules, including generous visa-exemption windows in 2024–25—making quick, late-planned trips far easier.
• Vietnam grants 90-day, multiple-entry e-visas to all nationalities (including Indians), a reform from August 2023 that removed a major pain point.
• Indian booking behaviour has shifted toward last-minute international trips, so low-friction visas matter more. MakeMyTrip tracked a 32% rise in Indians taking two or more overseas trips and ~50% of flights/hotels booked within 14 days of travel.

2) Perceived value for money.

• Independent hotel benchmarks show Thailand’s core markets running ADRs around THB 4,241 in Bangkok and THB 5,481 in Phuket in 2H-2024 (roughly mid-tier India city-hotel pricing), while food, massages and local transport remain comparatively cheap—an attractive “total trip cost” equation.
• Vietnam has been one of APAC’s top RevPAR improvers with still-competitive prices; global “best-value” lists frequently place Hội An/Vietnam at or near the top based on baskets of on-ground costs.
• In India, industry trackers flagged record-high ADRs in 2024, reflecting tight supply; Goa specifically saw ADR pressure/volatility—with some resorts quoting high peak-season rates even as broader averages softened—fueling a sense that Southeast Asia is a better value at like-for-like quality.

3) Connectivity & capacity.

• India is now a top-three source market for Thailand: ~2.0–2.1 million Indian arrivals in 2024, and 1 million+ by mid-June 2025 alone—numbers made possible by dense non-stop/one-stop networks from metro and non-metro India.
• Vietnam’s India market is much smaller but surging: ~5.0 lakh (501,000) Indian arrivals in 2024, and 3.87 lakh in Jan–Jul 2025 (+42% YoY), helped by the 90-day e-visa and expanding India–Vietnam routes.

4) Reliability of on-ground services.

• Tourists routinely cite app-based cab access and predictable pricing in Bangkok, Phuket or Da Nang versus Goa’s long-running taxi frictions (no Ola/Uber; recurring clashes over aggregators and overcharging). Local reportage and policy statements in 2025 again underscored that national ride-hailing apps remain barred in Goa, with continued union resistance.
• Environmental quality matters: Goa authorities and media highlighted faecal contamination/plastic litter episodes at some beaches—isolated and seasonal, but damaging to perception compared with the “clean, orderly” marketing of Vietnam and Thailand’s marquee beach cities.

5) The social “upgrade.”

• Indian travellers are chasing “experience density” (night markets, cafés, temples, island-hopping, massages, shows) at predictable, low unit costs—a category where Thailand long excelled and Vietnam is catching up fast. Skyscanner/industry trend reports show Indian interest tilting toward short-haul Asia with strong value signals.

So… is Goa actually losing travellers?

Not on volumes. Goa is still booming in headcount.

• 2024 (provisional): 1.04 crore visitors (99.4 lakh domestic, 4.68 lakh foreign).
• Jan–Jun 2025: 54.55 lakh total (domestic 51.84 lakh, foreign 2.71 lakh), ~8–10.5% YoY growth versus H1-2024, according to state briefings.

The contradiction is perception vs. reality: even as total arrivals rise, a discernible share of higher-spend, experience-seeking urban Indians are diverting one of their annual beach trips to Thailand/Vietnam for better value, smoother logistics and novelty—especially when Goa’s peak-season rates spike or taxi hassles resurface. Business press and user reports have amplified this sentiment this year.

Price snapshot (indicative benchmarks)

• Thailand hotels (late-2024): Bangkok ADR ~THB 4,241; Phuket ~THB 5,481. Upscale Phuket in 1H-2025: ADR ~THB 7,104, occupancy 84%.
• India hotels (2024): all-India ADR about ₹7,951; several markets hit record highs in late-2024 amid tight supply. Goa’s YoY ADR trend was mixed/softer in some quarters even as occupancy improved, but peak-season coastal quotes can be steep—fueling “Goa is pricey” chatter.
• Vietnam: fast RevPAR growth in 2024 and improving occupancy/ADR from a lower base (value edge on dining, transport, activities).

(Note: ADRs are market averages across wide hotel mixes; travellers can, of course, find both cheaper and pricier options in each place.)

Current situation at a glance

• Thailand: Visa-light, dense air seats from India, and an ecosystem engineered for tourists. India is now a top-3 source market, with 2.0–2.1 million Indian arrivals in 2024 and momentum continuing in 2025.
• Vietnam: The 90-day e-visa turbocharged growth; ~5 lakh Indians in 2024 and strong double-digit gains in 2025 so far.
• Goa: Record footfalls and new connectivity, but lingering taxi/app issues and periodic environmental headlines dent premium-traveller sentiment. 2024 total: ~1.04 crore; H1-2025: 5.45 million.

How many tourists choose Goa?

Using the state’s official updates:

• 2024: 10.41 million (1.04 crore) total visitors (domestic + foreign).
• Jan–Jun 2025: 5.455 million—tracking ahead of last year on a like-for-like basis.

Bottom line

Indians aren’t abandoning Goa; they’re re-allocating trips. The combination of friction-free entry, predictable on-ground costs, and dense experiences per rupee has made Thailand and Vietnam the default for one of the two (or more) international holidays many urban Indians now take each year. Goa remains India’s marquee beach state by volume, but to keep (or win back) the value-sensitive, quality-seeking segment, the state’s priorities are clear: cleaner beaches, reliable app-based mobility, and clearer value at mid-to-upper tiers—all without losing Goa’s unique culture.

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